![]() The Black Spider, a 1985 opera by British composer Judith Weir, includes as one of its stories the opening of Casimir's tomb in 1973 and the subsequent deaths. The Times reported that it is thought that the conservation team members had inhaled the toxic spores of the fungus as they opened the tomb. Media reports have suggested that the likely cause of the deaths were the aflatoxins produced by this fungus. This type of fungus produces toxic substances called aflatoxins which are linked to a number of serious health conditions affecting the liver and are highly carcinogenic. However, microbiologist Bolesław Smyk identified the presence of the fungus Aspergillus flavus in samples taken from the tomb. The global notoriety of the story was boosted by the election of Archbishop Wojtyła as Pope in 1978, as his officiation at Casimir's re-interment was one of the few "background" film clips of the new Pope available to the international media. The global media made comparisons with the supposed curse linked to the premature deaths of those involved in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, and rumours of a "Jagiellonian curse" began to circulate. Other premature deaths soon followed and, in all, 10 of the 12-man team died prematurely. In the following months, members of the conservation team began to die prematurely and unexpectedly: Feliks Dańczak died in April 1974, Stefan Walczy in June 1974, Kazimierz Hurlak in August 1974, and Jan Myrlak in May 1975. The restoration work was then carried out and, once it had been completed, Casimir and Elizabeth were re-interred in a ceremony held in the cathedral on 18 September 1973, with Archbishop Wojtyła conducting the service. When the tomb was opened, the team found rotting wooden coffins and the remains of Casimir and Elizabeth. The work was undertaken by a team of 12 conservationists and their initial aim was to examine the contents of the tomb in order to assess how best to renovate it. As part of this project, permission was given by the Archbishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyła – the future Pope John Paul II – to open the tomb of Casimir and Elizabeth in May 1973. Microscopic spore of Aspergillus flavus, the deadly fungus found in the tombįrom 1972 to 1973, the Cathedral authorities undertook work to renovate the Holy Cross chapel. The tomb, as well as Stoss's St Mary's altarpiece, became artistically extremely influential in Poland and eastern Prussia. Stoss's work is considered a masterpiece and, as a consequence of this success, he was asked to construct a series of royal tombs in Kraków. ![]() The arches are supported by marble pillars, the capitals of which feature biblical scenes and are signed by Stoss's assistant, Jörg Huber of Passau. The nature of the sculpting of the crown and arches echoes the ornate carving of wooden altarpieces at the time. The sides of the sarchophagus bear the arms of Casimir's kingdoms and territories. Stoss's signature appears under the effigy's feet. The effigy is highly unusual: Casimir is presented as being in agony and is dressed in a clerical cloak only used at coronations. A full length sculpted effigy of Casimir lies on top of the sarcophagus. The inner parts of the canopy are made from limestone from Pińczów. It is composed of a sarcophagus, over which was sculpted a canopy supported by ornate arches. The tomb is a late Gothic masterpiece made from mainly red marble from Adnet, near Salzburg. When Elizabeth died in 1505 she was interred in the tomb beside her husband. The tomb was located in the cathedral's Holy Cross Chapel, and Casimir was interred in it in July 1492. Stoss was then commissioned to create, in red marble, a tomb for Casimir in the city's Wawel Cathedral, which he worked on between 14. Mary's Basilica, carving it in wood and completing it in 1489. The German sculptor Veit Stoss had moved to Kraków from Nuremberg in 1477 to work on the altarpiece of St. He had married Elizabeth of Austria in 1454. Effigy of Casimir IV lying on the tomb's sarcophagusĬasimir IV, a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death in 1492.
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