Elsewhere: St. Barbara in Kutna Hora Ben say-so, I've just realize that I had you not made any releases Kutna Hora on
. If I had just spoken in quite a few published, but not a single one was dedicated to this fabulous city, full of historical furbished, each more splendid than others, just 1 hour drive from Prague. C'te shame ... imagine? One of the most visited cities of our Republic, registered since 1995
UNESCO World Heritage , and I always had you not been published in a 5 years?
Catching So. Today I will talk about the Church of St. Barbara, a jewel in the French Gothic. Ah yes, then what is a Gothic gem (incidentally flaming) in the French z'allez ask me (note I am not an expert, just an amateur): building multi-vessel built on several levels and provided with an ambulatory around the choir surrounded by chapels or vertical momentum gives a feeling of colossal expense of aesthetic refinement (eg, Reims, Bourges, Amiens, Strasbourg, Metz ...).
Barbara ... In French you will find our building under the name St. Barbara. Then the names Barbara and Barbara are completely synonymous, that's just flogging a name like a daughter, Barbara, should be either Portuguese or perverse feminist. So personally I will use "Barbara", even if it is not official, because it reminds me that I know Barbara, a beautiful strand of beautiful girl architected and blazed wide of the kinky marmousse the Muslim fanatic. Further details. The Czech sources often speak of our church in terms of "cathedral". Please note, this is an architectural standpoint, because our church was never the seat of any bishop, did not support any diocese, and there was not even assigned a parish.
So personally I will use "church", although this splendid edifice can display a more honorable name.
"Kutná Hora" means "mountain Kutná" . Provided there is no doubt about the "mountain", although it should be here this word in mining terms, such mine, ore reserve rather than in terms of mound ... So not too much of a problem on
"Hora" that
"Kutná" is another pair on Sunday. It could be a Germanic origin,
"Kutta" (monastic habit, by the Cistercian monks who settled in the corner in 1142). It could be the Germanic dialect still the center of the country,
"Kutta" , meaning "hole" (mine, not Basel). The name could also come from the Czech
"kutat" (haver, rip, by the silver mines of the region). But the word
"Kutna" which
Germain as "Kutta" means frock, frock. There exists about a beautiful legend, which says it was a day the monk Cistercian monastery Antoine
"Sedlec" ... The latter (monastery) was destroyed during the wars Hussites, and never really rebuilt. There are now pieces around, like in the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption.
As for "Sedlec" , the village is now part of
"Kutná Hora" which is a neighborhood ... Ah yes, so the monk Anthony, late fourteenth century, left in the forest in search of fertile land for growing agriculture (the hobby of the Cistercians). While he was in the vicinity of the present church of All Saints (where the famous ossuary, will publish), he fell asleep in the shade of a tree. And he dreamed, the shameless bastard, he dug, and suddenly everywhere shining silver (metal). The rock was of silver, the roots were of silver, to the fungi that were silver too. When he awoke, disturbed-numb, he threw several curious eyes around, and found 3 small silver rods that grew from the rock. Then he threw his white cassock (
"Kutta" ,
"Kutna" ) over the branches to mark the spot, and ran to the monastery announce his discovery (andouille). That said, the Germanic origin is most probable, however, since the vast majority of miners in the area were imported from Germany, until XV century, when endangered, their export from Germany was prohibited. Anyway, the name remained the same in Latin, under
"Mons (Montes) Cutner (Cuthna, Chutna, Cuthni)" (
"districtus Cuthnensis" ).
But I will not make you any history
"Kutná Hora" , if not my releases will be for ages, so just a few important landmarks. The surroundings of our corn were already inhabited in the Neolithic age in the reign of the monkey and the big TV in stone. After the arrival of the Celts (to 4000 before Jean-Claude), we began working money
"Kutná Hora" . In the period of wooden forts (between the eighth and tenth century), there was a wooden fort (oh yeah?) On this important trade route called
"Haberská stezka" . Parenthesis, our road
"Haberská" in these times, linked Bohemia (
"Caslav" ) and Moravia (
"Znojmo" ), and later even Vienna (Austria) since
"Kolín" ( Bohemia). His name (the road) would viendu the famous chronicle of Cosmas
Pragensis , where it says:
"Nam Borivoy collecto exercitu occurrens eis castra metatus est supra duos colles iuxta oppidum Malin , paratus in crastinum cum eis committere bellum. Teutonici vero non longe ex altera parte rivuli Wyzplisa applicuerunt castra, ita ut uterque ab utrisque possit videri exercitus. Qui postquam animadverterunt unanimem esse cum constantiam Boemorum, inquiunt Ŏdalrico: Ubi sunt illi Boemie natu maiores, quos dicebas tuos esse fautores? Recte mentitus es in caput tuum et nos decepisti atque in magnum deduxisti periculum. Reverti volunt, sed nequeunt, quia eadem via post illos Zuatoplik cum fratre suo Ottone ducens secum duas scaras veniebat duci Borivoy in auxilium. Quid facerent? Magna undique coartati angustia per angustam viam et nimis artam semitam, qua itur trans silvam ad Gabr, turpem Noctu maturaverunt fugam ".
Basically, when
" Oldřich Brnensky " (
" Ŏdalrico ") and
" Bořivoj (II) " (
" Borivoy ") put themselves in serious mouth to retrieve the crown of Bohemia ...
battle of" clever "... shamefully put the sails at night, through the thickets, by the narrow path that leads to any
"Habry" (
"Gabr" ). And it is curious that the name of
"Habry" remained (
"Haberská stezka" ) because corn is an insignificant 1500 inhabitants in the region known
"Vysočina" (cut off from the world 4 months of the year by snow, black terror of any motorist traveling on the highway D1). It is as if the A4 was called the Paris-Strasbourg Puttelangienne rather than "Eastern" because it involves Puttelange-aux-Lacs. Short, but what is important is especially the mention of
"oppidum Evil" , our wooden fort, because the corn
"clever" is now part of
"Kutná Hora" . Note that the fort
"clever" like surroundings belonged until 955 to Family
"Slavníkovci" , family was brutally génocidée by
" Přemyslovci " (in September 995, to
"Libice" ) so that they finally take absolute power over
"Kutná Hora" , like all Bohemia.
And note also that in the mint (wood)
"clever" , were struck in 985 first
Deniers (well the oldest that we know). In that time, the extraction of ore was still open. Only later, once the shovel invented (A June 18, the shovel 18 June), we dug tunnels, dark, narrow and deep, 500 m, which was at the time the deepest in the world that we dug . Wealth was there, cool, except there were not many people to draw because the surroundings were wild, hostile and uninhabited. Also in 1142, the lord of the corner
"Miroslav Cimburk z" founded a monastery (
"Sedlec" ) to populate the Cistercian (from
"Waldsassen" in Germany, just 9 km from
" Cheb ") that it would clear the area to populate the miners, goldsmiths, traders and other generators of wealth. And thanks to them (wealth), the town grew rapidly. Towards the end of the thirteenth century (between 1270 and 1280), an estimated 5 tons of annual extraction of money (to say the dough is qu'ça).
Around these juvenile stands, began to grow houses on good god wood (wooden houses, not good god), under the stewardship pastor of spiritual
"clever" . But in 1324, the pléban
"Oldřich Paběnic z" (Pléban, Latin
"plebanus" , according to Bishop Outside of a bishop in charge of the plebs. In the Middle Ages, Bohemia, a term normally used to designate the pastor of a parish) affiliation by decree all independent parishes under the jurisdiction of the Cistercian monastery
"Sedlec" , which depended directly papàrome. Quick digression on
"Oldřich Paběnic z" , whose teeth are longer than long, allowed him an exponential rise in clerical circles. Educated in theology at the Bolognese (Bologna, deep wood ...), and scion of a wealthy family, he quickly took important positions such as deputy provost
of "Vysehrad" , which was also physician
"Rudolf I" , chancellor of King
"Václav II , archbishop of Mainz, and the good Baptist King Charles IV, I mean
Stone Aspelt .
Thus by its privileged relations with the clergy as with the nobility,
"Oldřich Paběnic z" obtained the canonries chapters
"Vysehrad" and
"Olomouc" the plébanicat of
" Malín ", he was director (officer) of the bishop of Prague, advised sworn King, master of scholastic chapter of Prague and an honorary member of the Circle of Elders of the bowls ... accumulation is a shameless money that could not help but blame him Archbishop of Prague. Under the admonitions of his fathers,
"Oldřich" eventually makes her aprons, and entered the Order of Cistercians of
"Sedlec" monk as second class. It took him just three years to rise through the ranks at the speed of-V, since the death of Father Fredo (
"Bedrich" ), he succeeded him as abbot of
"Sedlec" , Father of one of the monasteries (if not the) richest and most influential times in Bohemia (in Europe).
"Oldřich" had yet to make his position 3 years later, a victim of nanévrisme (it iour) which left him in a state-vegeto vegetables. He ascended into heaven 1 year later (in 1334) where, despite his intellectual disability, St Peter himself issued detailed objections about its move heaven, for fear of being evicted by the ambitious upstart.
But back to "... affiliation by decree all parishes under the jurisdiction of the Cistercian monastery directly under the papàrome" . And it, bin it n'faisait not really the case of local patricians (bourgeois capitalists, traders, businessmen ... in short, the traditional enemies of the proletarian worker), who in 1384 founded his own brotherhood of Christ's body, well outside the jurisdiction of the Cistercian monks.
Once the party founded, the patricians bought some land in terms of Prague near St. Vitus (owner), outside the fortifications of the city (
"Kutná Hora" ), so they do nothing, but really nothing to do with the monastery
"Sedlec" . Worse they began the construction of a chapel of St. Wenceslas with his ossuary (
"carnarium" ) has now disappeared, but was most likely the site of the present Jesuit College. St Wenceslas Chapel became known as "body of Christ" in the seventeenth century and still exists, 20 m north-east of St. Barbara, although she fell into ruin during the last 2 centuries (it was fully restored between 1997 and 2000). Well, ok the chapel, but it was not representative enough. Far far away thing.
Also because she had the dough to spare (the poor), the slave-owning class began work on a new church architecture cathedral, right in the location where there was a long time since chaplet dedicated to the saint of miners, St. Barbara (the chaplet was part of the choir until 1626). And hop legend.
According to this legend, the chapel of St. Barbara was born long ago, very very much longer, when it was a time, three miners who were digging tunnels in a silver mine. One day he was once the gallery collapsed, burying the miners, but not kill them, as in Chile, to run the reality show. And while the cameras of the world turned to
"Kutná Hora" , 3 children, themselves, turned to the Holy patroness they prayed. The first St. Barbara prayed so that he can see the light of day again, and after, he could die. The second asked Santa Barbara so he can see his family (close, not the aunt had emigrated to Australia), and after, he could die. The third asked Santa Barbara so he can see the light of day, see his family (close, not the cousin immigrated to New Zealand), he wants to live a full year (365 days from the date of the rescue ) and after, he could die.
Ben
they prayed so hard, that St. Barbara appeared to them, and showed them the way out. Yes, I know, they were buried. Then consider the sentence
"showed them the way out" in the sense "fila their shovels, picks and a hell of a damn to help out so they make their way toward the exit" . But hardly the first miner had he seen the light of day, he died instantly (thank you Santa Barbara). A second minor penalty had he seen his family, he died too soon (again, thank you Santa Barbara). A third minor penalty had he seen the light of day, no sooner had he seen his family, he ran with the first tree of respectable size, he felled with an ax. He began carving on site a large statue of St. Barbara. But beware, a beautiful, large statue, like the guy above apply serious, not like the noodle necklaces for his wife when
International Day of Women, the blank, and stewed , no, a real beautiful statue of St. Barbara, beautifully carved and painted in gouache color to really beautiful. Once finished, he asked his ex-votos on the stump of the felled tree and died instantly. It was just the 365 th day after issuance.
The statue stood there for a while before it was stolen by the Swedes (manure), and the miners were in the habit of going to pray the holy before descending into the mine, but with prayers least engaging, kind without condition or date fixed for Ste Barbara is apparently formalistic and fussy about the terms of solicitations. When the statue disappeared, she was replaced by our chapel, which was replaced by our cathedral church.
So the actual date of start of construction is not really sure, but the constitution of the two official buildings (chapel as a church) dated July 27, 1388 already mentions their names and their function (cf.
"Jaromír Čelakovský, in Codex iuris municipalis Regni Bohemiae, T.II, p.823, Archives du chapitre de Prague (num. XVII, 23), [...] pro diuini cultus augmento capellam in honore Corporis Christi et sancte Barbare, virginis et martiris gloriose, prope Montes Chutnis in fundo bonorum communium capituli ecclesie Pragensus infra fines et limites ecclesie parrochialis in Pnyewycz tituli sancti Wenczeslai [...]" ). Mais comme dit, les constructions eurent pu commencer bien avant. Les travaux furent menés par la corporation (groupe de compagnons) praguoise de
" Petr Parléř " (que je ne vous présente plus), fort probablement sous la direction de son fils, Jean, qui se maria d'ailleurs
to "Kutná Hora" in 1389.
bracket. So the question of who the father or the son
"Parler" , built the Church of St. Barbara remains open. According to experts Germans (former), especially
"Joseph Neuwirth" (cf.
Der Baubeginn Frohnleichnams-und der Barbarakirche in Kuttenberg. Prag 1893 "), the paternity of the father Pierre is no doubt. However
Eva Matejkova " (cf.
" Kutna Hora. Praha 1962 ") leans to the son John, mainly through his marriage in the corn a year after writing the famous act of foundation. Worse in 1970,
"Viktor Kotrba" be played at the Solomon plans and attributed to Father Pierre Jean achieving the son (cf.
"České umen gotické 1350 to 1420. Kolektiv autorů, Praha 1970" ) . But in 1984, based on the characteristics of the church choir,
"Dobroslav Libal" stated no, that neither Peter nor John would be involved in this building, which would work according to the author of a disciple parlerien unknown (cf.
"Gotická Architektura, in: Dejiny českého výtvarného umen I / 1. Kolektiv autorů, Praha 1984" ). In short, consider So the corporation parlerienne be safe, in terms of achievements, but a doubt still exists and some still on the participation of one another, or even two
"Parler" in both plans, as in implementation.
In fact, there are a multitude of highly technical books, however interesting, precise as a Swiss clock, and in various languages that analyze the millimeter 3D architecture of this building, while comparing it to many other European literature. And each side, each similarity, every inconsistency, every bit of trivial detail for the layman can the expert to proceed in its assumptions about the paternity of the masterpiece. Obviously I'm not going to put it all in my published, otherwise it will be as indigestible as the
Wikipedia . Now I can not conceal certain essential elements either, so you also do not get lost in the architectural details that follow (do not worry, for the uninitiated), I've found a great link
that cuts 3-dimensional St. Barbara church in order to show all components.
So according to some sources, the building was planned as a three-vessel, double length compared to that exists today.
Bad luck, because today the building is so long by half, and has 5 ships
(ground, but three vessels from the clerestory). During this first phase of construction, all progressed rather quickly. Around 1395, the five vessels already existed in terms of main structure. Were already spent 15 altars, which were allocated 15 priests in charge of spending the dust, and the walls reached the present height clerestory. But came the Hussite wars (in 1420), and the site was put on hold for 60 years. Around 1482, the economic situation as social leaders, the city as the country made it possible to restart the construction, and it is a local craftsman, master
"Hanuš" , who took over after that no one knows who, according to plan 100 years old . Parenthesis. According to one source, master
"Hanuš" would viendu Prague, and had mounted his guild of craftsmen to
"Kutná Hora" with his brother
"Blazek" . Is this the same
"Hanuš" that whoever built the famous clock in Prague's Old Town? Unlikely, especially since the
"Hanuš" clock is strongly challenged by historians. But I'll talk another time.
short, our
"Hanuš" of
"Kutná Hora" attacked the outside retaining walls of the choir (braced) and the clerestory, which only existed in that time the cathedral tri-
saintale . But as said, the plans were dated to a century, and craftsmen like fashion had shifted to modernism. Also in 1489, we changed to the famous architect
" Matěj Rejsek " . A report that he was likely put in the saddle by the steward of the city's underworld Hussite
ambiguous "Michal Smisek z Vrchovišť " I can not hide the name, so he was present on the local political scene between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. Michael was the epitome of petty bourgeois intriguing entrepreneur, who came to sneak close to the highest levels of nobility. It was originally miners' riots between 1494 and 1496 when ... hey, oyez instead. On September 13, 1494, miners, frustrated by the dishonesty of intendant Michel local, wrote a letter of complaint against him (cf.
Josef Emler, Pozůstatky desk zemských království českého pohořelých st 1541, Volume I, ed. 1870, [...] miners say that all the ore for sale on the stuol kaven and he did not come with the sale of its first looked better here, and would have been better ores šibáren to take a pitch he did, while those of iron ore for sale stuol establishment did not come under the top ").
Une semaine navigating tard seulement, le plus haut du pays
director" William Pernstein " Arriva en ville à la tête d'une commission d'enquête, aux fins mandatée d'apporter toute la Lumière sur affaire louche susmentionnée. N'oublions not only this time the silver mines of
"Kutná Hora" were the country's central bank, and had been absolutely unthinkable that we can keep it there mismanagement or disorder settle ( it's not like fuel depots in the kingdom of Sarkoland). There was inquiry, there was discovery of wrongdoing, and as a result of trial, Michael was convicted, condemned, forfeited his office and imprisoned. But then, in 1495, the ugly guy out of prison, exonerated by a royal edict W (
" Vladislav Jagellonský " ) in person (which, however, was elected King of Bohemia
to "Kutná Hora" in 1471, as can still be seen in the painting room of City Hall said
"Vlašský dvůr" ). He was found (Michel) then in various documents under occupation miner, ore trader, then alderman (in 1498) and downright mayor of
"Kutná Hora" in 1499. He died in 1511 and was buried in our church, St. Barbara, where he had previously acquired a chapel (to rest, I will return).
Then there is still a gradual told
"Michal Smisek Vrchovišť z" (
"Smíškovský Gradual "), dated between 1490 and 1495, now in the National Library in Vienna, containing 493 sheets of parchment richly illuminated, and considered a masterpiece of art which were devoted many publications . After the family
"Smisek Vrchovišť z" , the book passed into the hands of
z Rožmberků ", who made gifts in 1590 to Ferdinand of Tyrol who delivered on Ambras Castle, before Leopold first move does so (with much of the Ambras collection) in his
"Kunstsammlung" Vienna. So if I tell you all this is because not only do we encounter this damn unhealthy result of my publishing, but also because this extraordinary character who was so important to his city and beyond, would perhaps never existed. Indeed, there are sources that claim that there were two homonymous characters, one good and one evil, knowing that the evil never existed, and would be a pure invention. Crazy! Okay, but back to our church.
" Matěj Rejsek " hired so work on windows, finished exterior retaining walls, the clerestory and the chancel on which he laid the vaults (rib) in 1499. He extended it again (chorus) of a segment (with arches) to the ships to fully protect the heads of ensoutanés weather. His touch in late Gothic is particularly remarkable attention to detail and abundant decoration (see external support systems, such as plastics called the "Troll 3"). Our architect died in 1506, but construction continued until 1512 according to his plans. That year, the council appealed to the roof of a genius, architect
" Benedikt Ried " (ie
"Benedikt Rejt" ), which just had a mission to finish the roof of the central nave (until it rained, snowed and crottedepigeonnait the flock). And there, the guy made a miracle of late Gothic, probably one of the last before the advent of the renaissance: a network of ridges forming double curvature in the center with 6 petals of daisies and stars with 4 branches, covering not only but the nave aisles, all bathed in abundant light through the many openings in the upper walls (the same pattern of recovery of the aisles is found in certain French cathedrals, including Notre Dame d'Amiens but the latter is a three-vessel [the transept, which is devoid of St. Barbara]).
Note that the motives of the ribs are reminiscent of the reasons for the so-called dirty Vladislav, the old royal palace
, and for good reason: it is the same architect. Today are painted in the spaces between arches like coats of arms of noble citizens (patricians) of the city which contributed financially to the construction. As for the roof, rather than adopting a conventional rectilinear form, this fellow architect covered the building of three small pyramids shaped wigwam symbolizing the Holy Trinity.
"Benedikt Rejt " died in 1534 (sometimes 1536, he had a tough leather animals), but the shipyard went according to plan until 1558, when the city put an end to the perennial shortage of funds for construction. L 'unfinished building began to deteriorate.
In 1626, the Jesuits were given stewardship in the church, but they cared more for the construction of their new school, adjacent to St. Barbara, as the dilapidated church.
Well, if they made the necessary repairs, but this kind of note at the end ... even when significant changes the Baroque period. First they (the Jesuits) relièrent church with their college to a covered porch (really, they do not like the rain monks), and then most importantly, they replaced the fabulous Indian pyramids by a roof while
beast, while commonplace, with three turrets all beasts, all commonplace
... banal. But by breaking
roustons the world, the Jesuit order was dissolved, and the church fell under the umbrella of "religious background" (
"Náboženský background" sometimes
"Náboženská matic ), an institution created under Josef II and designed to manage (often outstanding) religious heritage desecrated by the reforms of the emperor. Needless to say, that the church does not receive more care than before. But in 1877, the association was established archaeological and cultural
"Vocel" , one of whose primary objectives was to restore St. Barbara (cf.
meeting minutes of the diet of the kingdom of Bohemia 1878-1882) .
latter repassed under the stewardship of the city, and restoration in Gothic Revival style was initially entrusted to
" Josef Mocker " (who else otherwise), then
"Ludvík Lable" (1855 - 1930), local character extremely active in the region but little known outside
"Kutná Hora" . Most components were removed Baroque, Gothic and generally replaced rather than restored (see the windows). One of the few positive elements, is the return of the original roof to 3 pyramids. The façade (formerly temporary) was completely rebuilt outside and decorated with statues of sculptors
"Čeněk Vosmík" and
"Jindřich Čapek" . In this period of reconstruction, we replaced the old organ with a new one (the mechanism, but the cupboard is always Baroque first half of the eighteenth century), as well as the main altar (as an original idea
"Ludvík Lable" ). The windows were completely renewed. Today they exhibit biblical or historical scenes, and shall indicate the donors for the reconstruction, including a rather famous (donor), Francois-Joseph who first visited
"Kutná Hora" in 1906 at World's Fair of black pudding with apples.
worth mentioning that most windows were developed according to drawings
"František Urban" (cf. the interior paintings of the church of St Pierrépaul
"Vysehrad" ), and produced between 1898 and 1923. Finally the Church of St. Barbara was re-dedicated 15 October 1905 by the Bishop of
"Hradec Kralove" :
Josef Doubrava ", the more artistically oriented ensoutanés of Bohemia (pal staff
" Max Švábinský ",
Josef Fanta" , and many others), and since the last major (re) construction, the appearance of our building is unchanged. Under the con-Communists, not much to report, otherwise than by the sad decay in which the church stood, extensive work began in 2003 (see the scaffolding on my pictures), and is still continuing on my last visit (in 2008). Since 1995, Santa Barbara is world heritage of UNESCO, but it seems unlikely that this distinction makes him the financial support it would have the greatest need. The latest news
(September 2009), the static of the whole edifice is threatened by the dilapidated state of buttressed, resulting from the combined action of acid rain (spring-summer) and frost (autumn-winter) .
So I can only urge you to go to
"Kutná Hora" (70 km east of Prague, 1 hour drive) as soon as possible, visit the wonders that this city has especially this magnificent church of St. Barbara.
Let us in, and talk a little decoration. In the chorus, is a kind of small niche in the stone age
" Matěj Rejsek " (between 1500 and 1510) and designed to contain pictures of Jesus, God, Mary, etc. ... The choir pews were carved between 1480 and 1490 by
"Jakub Nymburský" , author of the famous altarpiece
of " Křivoklát " . Then, around the choir and the ambulatory, there are 8 apsidal chapels arranged in a semicircle in a pattern says "French". I will not describe all of you, but at least the most important. Let's start with less (important), the chapel known as "minor."
It was acquired in 1480 by the gardener of King W,
"Jan Knajzlík ze Světic" , and the story was that King would gobble a bowl of squirrel to the table with his winemaker in 1487 ( history to set you the importance of fellow wine). It is said further that owned a mine (the winemaker), making it one of the most important damn, as the richest city. Also its chapel is painted on the grounds of his glory, prestige and social position (today we would say that he "shook his ego"). She (chapel) was then assigned to the union (corporation?) Minors (in the year 1493, but I do not know why or what of
"Jan Knajzlík" ), and thus allowed every worker to go and pray good patron saint even more intensely than in the rest of the church, also entirely devoted to it. Although the frescoes are considered Artistic Achievement average, however, the chapel is valuable for its performances of mining tools of the time. In the chapel of the currency itself, are represented the various techniques of minting (money). In the Chapel of St. Catherine ... St Blaise ... St Basil ... St Wenceslas ... St. Dorothy and St. Cross ... short, you imagine that there a. And there is the famous chapel and equivocal
"Michal Smisek Vrchovišť z" (
"Smíškovská kaple" ).
It is considered the most remarkable of the chapels inside the church, and date between 1485 and 1492. Far from the local theme (mine, currency, saints ...), it is a mural in the center votive (duh, in a chapel), where the most likely Michael himself, surrounded by family members, pitting the altar for the sacrament of Eucharist (genus
"pass me the screwdriver" ). And then the sides are painted four scenes historicobibliques: Justice of Trajan (a story quite confused son, widow, of which there are several versions [cf. The legend of Trajan]. This episode is also called the trial of Trajan or leniency of Trajan). You will see yet Augustus and the Sibyl Tiburtine (theme frequently painted in the Middle Ages, cf.
"Haec is ara coeli" , gender
"Augustus, you should play Jesus placed in the fifth" ). Worse still the arch-traditional topics, the meeting of the Queen of Sheba with King Solomon's (him
"I saw more blonde" it:
"I see less stupid" ). And finally, because it could not fail, he finds himself in a 4th chapel fresco representing the crucified (
"This program is offered by Mr. Bricolage" ). Worse still up, but small, are a Jesus, with his brother Jacques the minor (duh, to
"Kutná Hora" ).
So the poor brother Jacques, "said the miner, is often confused with other Jacques, as just, Alpheus or small, like Camembert from Normandy to the former. In fact Jacques is a terrible hay in the Catholic religion, which long obscured the brothers of Christ. Well vouis, because if Jesus had brothers (apparently 4), type the virginity of Mary ... Not because once, well, well it can happen to remain a virgin after childbirth (as Glize), but 5 times ... So rather than brother, Jacques Catholic scholars saw the minor as a cousin, an aunt, a friend of bistro, and among all the above names of Jacques, he is with, it's the same. In short, the artist of these paintings is unknown (referred to by the pseudonym of
"master of the chapel Smíškovské" ), and many controversies still exist against him. But in addition to his undeniable talent, experts agree that it was fully aware of Italian painting of this period, which would explain its likely from Dutch (these paintings are a synthesis of Flemish art in Italy in a sauce of Bohemia). Oh, and the patron of this splendid funeral chapel,
"Michal z Vrchovišť" , since there is his death in 1511.
not forget the frescoes on the temporary wall that closes in the West outside the ship. They date from the early fifteenth century, before the Hussite era and are 3 scenes of the Passion of Christ. Then over a painting of 1463 (oh yeah?) Representing the striking of Big
Prague (just for info I note that
"big" in Czech is pronounced "Groch", not "big" French ).
Worse is the baroque, deco inside. Note the chapel of St. Francis Xavier, with his picture of the official painter of the Jesuits
"Jan Jiří Heinsch" , representing the saint (Francis Xavier) evangelizing India as if there was going to his life. Then the altar of St Mop aioli, with a painting of 1746 and
"Jan Karel Kovář" (I'd told her
last time, remember), representing the conversion of the castle of St Mop aioli
(see the Summary of the life of the saints for every day of the year:
"[...] but the passion he had for the glory, it was embraced the use of weapons. He gave evidence of such great value, as the Governor of Pamplona he confided the defense of this city that was besieged by the French. He defended it with an intrepidity which surprised the besiegers, but God who destinoit to support other struggles, allowed an event that was the cause of his conversion. Ignatius who had his leg broken by a cannon shot, was transported to the Castle of Loyola. When we désespéroit of his life he saw in a dream St. Peter touched her leg, and right away he was perfectly cured "). You will find even in the first chapel of the choir the oldest of the kit church: a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, holding in her arms a
cheese ... a Jesus. It dates from around 1380, but was polychrome (circa 1700), and restored the taste of time, ie Baroque (before she was silent and in black and white, a virgin). And always in the baroque style of old fichtreries the renaissance stone pulpit, the work of master Leopold (1560), which (Chair) received a trim and a wooden roof in 1665 to take the speaker warm. Worse still is the confessional.
Pareil, it is baroque, 1679, but the confessor in is more recent.
Then there is one of the most iconic statues from the church, the famous juvenile. According to my sources, it date to 1700, but I think it is much more recent, good late seventeenth century (note I am not an expert, just an amateur). He is dressed in uniform of a minor (oh yeah?), With the leather apron which served both protection during sinking, but also sledge to slide on the buttocks in the arteries of the mine (and how it was to get out?). In his left hand he holds a burner (dunno if you then say it like this, but it is a lamp to see inside the mine where it is all black) and in the right hand and pick. So like, Chuis not the art, but according to Zola (Zola Miles, cf. Germinal), it is to dig the rock, a pick. Parenthesis. City
"Kutná Hora" is full of medieval mining galleries, and it is visited
(in season), it is also just 100 meters from our Church of St. Barbara.
It's really impressive to see under what conditions these furious earned their crust, several hundreds of meters underground, 14 hours a day, 6 days a week (and no pension to 62 years). But beware, I strongly discourages sensitive to heart, to the zobèses surpoidpondéral, the claustrophobic (even mild), asthmatics and all those who have never gone underground ... I therefore strongly recommend to all those visiting the mine. It's narrow top is 250 m long enough (30 minute visit), and the crisis-panic rather quickly if you win you are not used (my son knows something).
Now look towards the top 4 corners of the upper church (clerestory level), you'll see four allegories of the Christian virtue (I'm tired, but in December, laughing, Christian virtue equity ...): , mercy, prudence, and bravery (no comment). They are wooden, they are from the first half of the seventeenth century, they are high 3.5 m and their author is unknown. Look up even higher, but you still fail to see it without binoculars or without zoom on your camera. On the pillars, above the clerestory, are fabulous sculptures chimeras, harpies, devils, bats, frogs ... and ... a monkey trying to guzzle an orange.
It is (according to my sources) of the oldest representation of an orange in Central Europe (and
Tatave too). That said, we do not know the exact date of the sculpture (early sixteenth century?), And to be honest, an orange, an apple, a ball baseball, it could be anything. Otherwise it would be the allegory of civilization, who eats the fruit of life. The balls j'dis me. Another thing that is difficult to see, but found there, however: the shells. Looking closely at the stones of sandstone used for construction of the church, you can see shells. Yes, because between 550 and 250 million years before Jean-Claude (Palaeozoic), the plain of Bohemia was completely covered by sea, in which swam fish, shellfish, amphibians and other mammals of same race. Later, so that the Czechs can live on site, the sea disappeared and the sand is cemented with all the stuff that was at the bottom (the sea) to give the sandstone which was then used to build our church. Hence the shell inlaid.
So in conclusion, I would like to add that the Church of St. Barbara is a wonderful example of pure secularism, divine splendor not devoted to God, but man, by man. This building was never designed nor for a religious institution or for a parish or diocese.
This is a construction initiated by the local patricians (the middle class if you want) to show the world (and especially the nobility and cassock), that to build the majesty, splendor and fabulously handsome, no need of nobility or faith, but to loot. And wham! Canonically speaking, our building had the status of a country chapel. Architecturally, it could easily compete with most fabulous buildings of the era, like our
cathedral tri-saintale . She is the last of four churches starts type "French" in our Republic, then after the St Vitus Cathedral, St. Mary of the Assumption of
"Sedlec" and St. Bartholomew of "Kolín" , but despite its short length, it is for me one of the most beautiful buildings we have in our Republic. St. Barbara is there: 49 ° 56'41 .52 "N, 15 ° 15'48 .36" E. serious
