Between Cistercians and Jesuits
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THE MYSTICAL BAROQUE Between Cistercians and Jesuits LENGTH DURATION Kutná Hora 4 km 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 fasci- nating past and vibrant present. Recommended The Cathedral of Assumption of the Virgin is the fi rst 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 Prague #VisitCZ @czechrepublic @VisitCZ CzechTourism 1 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 One of the masterpieces of Czech architecture, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The original Gothic church for the Cister- cian 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 Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary © Ladislav Renner life began in the early 18th century, when genius architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel designed its rebuilt, as his fi rst major project at 22 years The church treasury contains one of the most precious of age. Santini has respected the work of his Gothic predecessors and treasures of Central Europe preserved the original atmosphere of the cathedral. He also added a – the original of Sedlec number of contemporary features and created a style now known as Monstrance, thought to be Baroque Gothic. the oldest surviving Gothic Opening times: Monstrance in the World. There Daily except Christmas eve, Big Friday and White Saturday are only ten similar objects in April – October: Mon – Sat 9 AM – 5 PM, Sun 11 AM – 5 PM the world, be sure not to miss it. November – March: Mon – Sat 10 AM – 4 PM, Sun 11 AM – 4 PM http://www.ossuary.eu/index.php/cz/katedrala 500 m 2. The Sedlec Ossuary The Cemetery Church in Sedlec was built as part of the Cistercian Monastery in the 14th century. Its defi ning 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 Sedlec Ossuary © CzT the 16th century, to store bones. In the early 18th century, the church Opening times: was remodelled by Jan Blažej Santini Aichel and he is credited with Daily except Christmas Eve the idea of decorating the lower chapel using human bones. Within November – February: the Baroque philosophy, bones symbolised the fi nite character of daily 9 AM – 4 PM earthly life, but also the belief in the existence of life after death. The April – September: Mon – Sat 8 original Baroque furnishings were updated in 1870 by master carpenter AM – 6 PM, Sun 9 AM – 6 PM František Rint. This original work of art is world-unique and is among October and March: the most popular historical monuments in the Czech Republic. daily 9 AM – 5 PM http://www.ossuary.eu #VisitCZ @czechrepublic @VisitCZ CzechTourism 2 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 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 chu- rch. 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 fi nanced from the sale of ore that fell onto the ground during Church of Our Lady © Dagmar Veselková trading, was swept into a pile and subsequently sold for the benefi t of the church. ‚Na Náměti‘ means ‚on a pile of swept-up debris‘. The Ba- roque link is that one of the greatest Baroque painters – Petr Brandl, is buried there. This master of chiaroscuro and an artist known throu- ghout 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 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 fi re 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 The Sancturin House © Archiv města Kutná Hora Kutná Hora workshops searched for the magical philosopher‘s sto ne. #VisitCZ @czechrepublic @VisitCZ CzechTourism 3 200 m 5. Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord 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 Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord © Archiv města Kutná Hora 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 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 1713. Somewhat uncharacteris tically for such columns, but characteristically for Kutná Hora, it includes, apart from sculptures of saints, also those of working miners. The Plague Column © Archiv města Kutná Hora 200 m 7. 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 1734 – 1754. 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 Platzer. Church of St. John of Nepomuk #VisitCZ @czechrepublic @VisitCZ CzechTourism 4 400 m 8. The Jesuit College 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 specifi cation, Italian architect Giovanni Domenico Orsi had the original Gothic houses in the area completely demolished and placed the new college against The Jesuit College © Michal Vitásek 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 To enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Kutná the elevated location, also by the proximity to the Cathedral of St. Hora, go to the top of the Barbara, whose spiritual life was greatly enhanced by the Jesuit order. Jesuit College‘s south The college terrace was decorated with a set of 12 statues of saints by tower. Tickets are sold at the Franz Baugut in the early 18th century. By the end of the 18th century, gallery‘s ticket counter. 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 PM #VisitCZ @czechrepublic @VisitCZ CzechTourism 5 Useful contacts město Kutná Hora: Restaurant tips Tel: +420 327 512 378, Address: Informační centrum, Pivnice Dačický: Palackého náměstí 377, 284 01 Kutná Hora, Tel: +420 603 434 367, Email: [email protected], GPS: 49.9483267,15.2683581 Address: Rakova 8, 284 01, Kutná Hora, Accommodation GPS: 49.948563055556,15.265181944444 Hotel U Růže: Barbora: Tel: +420 773 966 800, Email: [email protected], Tel: +420 725 701 540, Address: Zámecká 52, 284 03, Kutná Hora, Email: [email protected], GPS: 49.961234722222,15.288623333333 Address: Kremnická 909, 284 01, Kutná Hora, Hotel U Kata: GPS: 49.945716944444,15.262385277778 Tel: +420 327 515 096, Email: [email protected], V Ruthardce: Address: Štefánikova 92, Kutná Hora 284 01, Tel: +420 739 013 510, Email: [email protected], GPS: 49.9492171,15.2752254 Address: Dačického nám. 15, 284 01, Kutná Hora, GPS Penzion U Babky bylinářky: : 49.948109722222,15.266676944444 Tel: +420 702 279 992, Email: [email protected], Address: Zahradní 531/7, Kutná Hora 284 01, GPS: 49.9468055,15.271469 #VisitCZ @czechrepublic @VisitCZ CzechTourism 6.