Gniezno Doors

Unknown artist

Gniezno Doors to the main entrance to the Gniezno Cathedral in Gniezno, Poland. The bronze doors were made around 1175, during the reign of Mieszko III the Old, and are one of the most important works of Romanesque art in Poland. The place where the Gniezno Doors were cast is uncertain. Possible workshops are Hildesheim, Bohemia, Liege or locally. A few possible artists and craftsmen were also indicated.The left door is 328 cm high and 84 cm wide, and the right door is 323 cm high and 83 cm wide. Both are 1.5 to 2.5 cm thick. They were cast from bronze by the technique of lost wax casting in a mixture of copper and tin with a small amount of lead. They are decorated with eighteen bas-reliefs from the life of St. Adalbert, patron of the Czech Republic, Poland and Prussia.