Albin Maria Boniecki spontaneously created another piece before he finished the Column of Three Eagles. He was inspired by the view of his fellow inmates that had to gather for the everyday roll calls. They would stand in rows, passive and resigned, and with their eyes so vacant and empty. Their rug-covered bodies, so wretched and exhausted, could hardly withstand the long hours of standing still in the Apelplatz. Boniecki set himself a goal to break through the inmates’ apathy and inspire them to resist.

There was a pole in the middle of the roll call square that Boniecki used to fulfil his aim. Its central position attracted attention of all the prisoners kept at field III. On top of this mast, there was a red light that was turned on to inform the SS-men about the prisoners who were outside their barracks. Slightly below it, there was a metal plate nailed to the pole that was used as a bell summoning the prisoners for the roll calls. As it was a bit rusty, Boniecki convinced the guards and the functionaries, that he should install some cover for its protection. Apart from the canopy, however, he also mounted his decoration that was meant to inspire the inmates’ will to resist. His piece had the form of a natural-size rooster placed against the rising sun in the background. For the camp authorities it was merely a decoration indicating the prisoners’ duty to get up early for the morning roll calls and work. For the inmates and the author himself, it was a reference to the roosters mounted on church rooftops and bell towers. Since the 9th century such elements of the Christian tradition have symbolised vigilance and protection from evil and dangers. As a herald of the new day, it also symbolises the resurrection of Christ. Such was the rooster’s significance for the prisoners of Majdanek. In the sun covered as the background, Boniecki hid a small religious medal made of aluminium, thus granting the installation a status of a sacred shrine. The outer parts were made with wooden boards painted in many vibrant colours.

Boniecki’s goal was achieved very soon. The moment the shrine was installed, the roll calls changed drastically for the prisoners of KL Lublin. It was transformed into a period of reflection, prayer, and contemplation. As reminisced by the author himself, his work brought a change within the inmates. Although it was an inner transformation hidden in their spirits, it was clearly visible as it gave them hope. With time, the place gained even larger significance, as the SS-men installed gallows on the other side of the same pole.

The shrine preserved in the collections of the State Museum at Majdanek is a copy, made by Albin Maria Boniecki after the war. It was cut out of aluminium that was painted in colours corresponding to the taints used in the original piece that has not survived. The item was gifted by Albin Maria Boniecki and was passed on to the State Museum at Majdanek by Fr. Andrzej Domański in 2002.