Between Cistercians and Jesuits

Transcription

1 THE MYSTICAL BAROQUE Between Cistercians and Jesuits Kutná Hora LENGTH 4 km DURATION 1 Day Join us on a journey from Sedlec, the medieval seat of Cistercians, to the monumental baroque Jesuit College in Kutná Hora and discover the city s fascinating and not so fascinating past and vibrant present. Recommended The Cathedral of Assumption of the Virgin is the first big project designed by architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel The Sedlec Ossuary is world-unique The former Jesuit College now houses one of the most prominent Czech galleries outside of CzechTourism 1

2 How to get to the starting point Kutná Hora is best reached by train, all Prague-Brno express trains stop there. Sedlec, where our itinerary starts, is just 1 km away from the train station (follow the red tourist trail). If you visit by car, you can park in front of the Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary. Start 1. Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary Ladislav Renner The church treasury contains one of the most precious treasures of Central Europe the original of Sedlec Monstrance, thought to be the oldest surviving Gothic Monstrance in the World. There are only ten similar objects in the world, be sure not to miss it. One of the masterpieces of Czech architecture, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in The original Gothic church for the Cistercian Monastery was the largest building project in the Czech lands at the turn of the 13th century. Unfortunately, it was ransacked in 1421 by the Hussite rebels and remained a ruin for centuries. Its new lease on life began in the early 18th century, when genius architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel designed its rebuilt, as his first major project at 22 years of age. Santini has respected the work of his Gothic predecessors and preserved the original atmosphere of the cathedral. He also added a number of contemporary features and created a style now known as Baroque Gothic. Opening times: Daily except Christmas eve, Big Friday and White Saturday April October: Mon Sat 9 AM 5 PM, Sun 11 AM 5 PM November March: Mon Sat 10 AM 4 PM, Sun 11 AM 4 PM m 2. The Sedlec Ossuary The Sedlec Ossuary CzT Opening times: Daily except Christmas Eve November February: daily 9 AM 4 PM April September: Mon Sat 8 AM 6 PM, Sun 9 AM 6 PM October and March: daily 9 AM 5 PM The Cemetery Church in Sedlec was built as part of the Cistercian Monastery in the 14th century. Its defining feature inspired by similar buildings in Jerusalem, were two chapels above each other. The upper one was used for funeral ceremonies and the lower one was used, since the 16th century, to store bones. In the early 18th century, the church was remodelled by Jan Blažej Santini Aichel and he is credited with the idea of decorating the lower chapel using human bones. Within the Baroque philosophy, bones symbolised the finite character of earthly life, but also the belief in the existence of life after death. The original Baroque furnishings were updated in 1870 by master carpenter František Rint. This original work of art is world-unique and is among the most popular historical monuments in the Czech CzechTourism 2

3 Back to Kutná Hora Take a train from Sedlec back to Kutná Hora (Kutná Hora-Sedlec > Kutná Hora-město). If you have time, you can walk along the Vrchlice creek on a path that follows the old road between the Cistercian and the Jesuit monasteries, used in the Baroque times by many religious processions. 400 m 3. Church of Our Lady Church of Our Lady Dagmar Veselková This Gothic church, founded in the 14th century, was originally built outside of the city s walls and was intended to serve as a cemetery church. The name refers to the medieval ore market, which was located in the vicinity of the present church and the fact that the construction was initially financed from the sale of ore that fell onto the ground during trading, was swept into a pile and subsequently sold for the benefit of the church. Na Náměti means on a pile of swept-up debris. The Baroque link is that one of the greatest Baroque painters Petr Brandl, is buried there. This master of chiaroscuro and an artist known throughout the entire Central Europe spent the last years of his life in Kutná Hora, but they were not very happy. During his tumultuous life, Brandl squandered most of the money he earned from his paintings. He added a few unsuccessful investments into mines in Jílové and Kutná Hora and spent the autumn years of his life in poverty and alone. 400 m 4. The Sancturin House The Sancturin House Archiv města Kutná Hora One of the oldest buildings in the city was once used to clean the silver ore. It acquired its current baroque form at the end of the 18th century, when it had to be rebuilt after a devastating fire of the town centre. Apart from the information centre, it now houses the Alchemy Museum, which takes you to the time when renowned scholars in secret Kutná Hora workshops searched for the magical philosopher s sto CzechTourism 3

4 200 m 5. Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord Archiv města Kutná Hora Apart from Jesuits, Kutná Hora also served as the seat of the Ursuline Convent in Baroque times. The nuns arrived in 1712, but negotiations with the city s authorities dragged on and it was a whole twenty years before construction work on the convent could commence according to the plans of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, the most important architect of that time. The convent was never fully completed, but is still very impressive and worth a visit. The convent itself now houses a school and wine cellars, but you can visit the New Baroque Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord from the late 19th century. 400 m 6. The Plague Column The Plague Column Archiv města Kutná Hora Kutná Hora s Baroque gem, the work of Jesuit sculptor Franz Baugut, was built between 1713 and 1715 in response to the plague epidemic, during which more than six thousand people died in Somewhat uncharacteris tically for such columns, but characteristically for Kutná Hora, it includes, apart from sculptures of saints, also those of working miners. 200 m 7. Church of St. John of Nepomuk Church of St. John of Nepomuk Unlike other cities and towns, Kutná Hora has only one church built as Baroque from new. The Church of St. John of Nepomuk.The church was designed by F. M. Kaňka, famous for his Baroque remodelling of several gardens in Prague, in Following a decade-long restoration, you can again admire works by leading late Baroque artists in its interior, painting by Franz Xaver Palko and sculptures by Ignaz Franz CzechTourism 4

5 400 m 8. The Jesuit College The Jesuit College Michal Vitásek To enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Kutná Hora, go to the top of the Jesuit College s south tower. Tickets are sold at the gallery s ticket counter. One of the town s landmarks, which was intended not only to provide a base for the powerful Jesuit order, but also to symbolically show their role and position in Kutná Hora. To meet this specification, Italian architect Giovanni Domenico Orsi had the original Gothic houses in the area completely demolished and placed the new college against the logic of the existing town. The dominant role of the Jesuits and the new order they brought to the city was to be highlighted, apart from the elevated location, also by the proximity to the Cathedral of St. Barbara, whose spiritual life was greatly enhanced by the Jesuit order. The college terrace was decorated with a set of 12 statues of saints by Franz Baugut in the early 18th century. By the end of the 18th century, however, the college ceased to serve its original purpose and has been dissolved. It currently houses the Central Bohemian Region Gallery, with a permanent exhibition and a rich variety of exhibitions focused mainly on contemporary art. Opening times: Tue Sun, 10 AM 6 CzechTourism 5

6 Useful contacts město Kutná Hora: Tel: , Address: Informační centrum, Palackého náměstí 377, Kutná Hora, GPS: , Accommodation Hotel U Růže: Tel: , info@ruzehotel.com, Address: Zámecká 52, , Kutná Hora, GPS: , Hotel U Kata: Tel: , hotel@ukata.cz, Address: Štefánikova 92, Kutná Hora , GPS: , Penzion U Babky bylinářky: Tel: , info@babkabylinkarka.cz, Address: Zahradní 531/7, Kutná Hora , GPS: , Restaurant tips Pivnice Dačický: Tel: , mikulas@dacicky.com, Address: Rakova 8, , Kutná Hora, GPS: , Barbora: Tel: , restaurace@penzionbarbora.cz, Address: Kremnická 909, , Kutná Hora, GPS: , V Ruthardce: Tel: , vruthardce@seznam.cz, Address: Dačického nám. 15, , Kutná Hora, GPS : CzechTourism 6