Pater futuri saeculi – Father of the Age to Come

A large dome with a diameter of 20 meters covers the crossing of the naves, within which an illusionistic scene called Pater Futuri Saeculi, or Father of the Future Age, is depicted. Christ is in the center of heavenly Jerusalem, surrounded by saints of the Cistercian order, witnessing the approaching Assumption of Mary, to whom he pays homage along with the surrounding saints, popes, cardinals, bishops, abbots, monks, and nuns of the Cistercian order.

Heavenly Jerusalem is adorned “like a bride adorned with jewels for her husband.” The bride is indeed approaching – she is the Assumption of Mary. Standing in the center of the scene under columns, Christ already sees her. He has just risen from his throne and addresses her with the words of the bridegroom: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Mary is still quite far from him, beyond the edge of the illusionistic dome. Between the Mother of God and her Son, four elders kneel or prostrate themselves.

There are more elders around this scene: these are the elders mentioned in the Apocalypse, generally in white robes. Some hold censers or harps. Those closest to Christ appear terrified or exhausted. It seems they want to prostrate themselves before the Son of God in a gesture of prostration (from Greek proskynesis) – taking a kneeling position while simultaneously touching the ground or the feet of the person they are honoring. The more distant elders, closer to Mary, are already facing her.

Mary is not easy to recognize. Her head here rather resembles a male face and is hairless! But this may be because her white hair blends into the background – a large, luminous circle around her head, referring to the woman clothed with the sun. To the left and right of the Mother of God, accompanying elders hold flowers and fruits, some of which wrap around her neck. Mary directs her right hand toward the ground, while her left hand begins to rise upwards towards the already saved individuals.

Apart from Mary, Jesus, and the elders, popes, cardinals, bishops, and Cistercian monks and nuns can also be recognized around the dome. These are exclusively Cistercian saints. The number of depicted saints, 48, corresponds to the number of seats in the stalls below and was intended to create a better spiritual connection during monastic prayers.

Most of the wall paintings inside the basilica in Krzeszów are the work of Jerzy Wilhelm Neunhertz, who created a colossal cycle of frescoes over 2.5 years – the greatest work of his life.

From preserved documents, it appears that only two people worked with him on this: Andrzej Maywald from Kłodzko and Jan Hausdorf. However, it seems that at least one more painter must have assisted him: Jan Franciszek Hoffmann, especially in the illusionistic architecture. Even this was likely not enough, considering the immense scope of the work and the relatively short time of its execution – only two years.