Modernity and material value : the fascination with contemporary architecture in the light of travel literature from the 17th and first half of the 18th century

The aim of this article is to examine how travellers in the 17th and the first half of the 18th century perceived and evaluated contemporary works of art and to indicate which works of art fascinated them most, which were valued the most, and what were the criteria for favouring some over others. The analysis was based on selected, representative examples of European travel literature from the 17th and first half of the 18th century. These sources are written testimony to the perception of art by contemporaries of that time and seem particularly valuable today in an age when the concept of style and especially the baroque style is in crisis. The article focuses primarily on sacral architecture from the abovementioned period.