Allegorical Sculpture „Faith”

The female figure, standing with slender body proportions, has her right leg extended forward. Her right arm is bent at the elbow, supporting a large cross positioned on the left side, preserved from the bottom to the hand, from which it has broken off. Her head is turned to the right, with styled hair pinned up and strands falling onto her neck. She has an oval face with delicate features.

The figure of “Faith” is dressed in a long, thin gown with a neckline and a voluminous cloak draped over her left shoulder and hips, fastened on her right side. Her feet are bare in sandals. The figure is mounted on a slightly convex circular base. Originally, the sculpture stood as the first on the right side of the entrance to the baptismal font, set against the pilaster of the enclosure. It is currently placed freely on the pedestal of the baptismal font.

The baptismal font was funded by the Council of St. Mary’s Church and made in the Netherlands between 1554–56. It was transported by ship to Gdańsk in 1557. In 1943–44, it was evacuated to the village of Żuławki near Gdańsk. In the post–war years, the sculptures were secured and stored in the National Museum in Warsaw. They returned to St. Mary’s Basilica in 1981.