Rotunda Kroměříž Flower Garden

Rotunda in the flower garden in Kroměříž

The rotunda of the flower garden in Kroměříž in the Zlín region in the Czech Republic forms the center of the pleasure garden of the archbishop's palace , which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1998 . The octagonal pavilion covered with a dome dates from the Baroque period . The interior is decorated with paintings, stucco and sculptures.

history

Foucault's pendulum in the rotunda

The rotunda was built between 1666 and 1668 based on a design by Giovanni Pietro Tencalla (1629–1702). The paintings were done from 1673 to 1675 by Giacomo Tencalla (1644–1689). The stucco work was done under the direction of Quirico Castelli. The sculptor Michael Mandík (around 1644–1694) created the sandstone sculptures depicting the allegories of the four seasons. At the beginning of the 20th century, the building was changed under the then Archbishop Theodor Kohn (1845–1915), who wanted to set up the Diocesan Museum there. Six of the original eight entrances were walled up and a portico was added. The fountains of the grottoes were removed and in their place newly created sculptures of satyrs by the sculptor Jan Antonín Beck (1864–1937) were placed. Most of the original wall paintings, which were already badly damaged at that time, were painted over. At the suggestion of the physicist and astronomer František Nábělek (1852–1915), who worked as a high school teacher in Kroměříž, a Foucault pendulum was hung under the dome to illustrate the rotation of the earth .

architecture

Stucco and ceiling painting

The building consists of a large, central hall, which is spanned by a dome and to which eight rooms adjoin. Four rooms are laid out as grottos and decorated with colored stucco, stones and hundreds of shells that come from a pond near Brno . Originally there was a fountain in each grotto with a sculpture of a satyr created by Michael Mandík. The walls of the four stone rooms are clad with mosaics of colored stones, the ceilings are decorated with stucco and paintings. By means of a water machine that was no longer available, visitors could unexpectedly be sprayed with water through nozzles that were embedded in the floor and hidden behind the cornice of the dome.

Ceiling painting

The vault of the dome is divided into eight fields on which episodes from the Metamorphoses of Ovid are depicted. One scene shows the nymph Syrinx , who is transformed into reeds to protect against the stalking of the shepherd god Pan . In the following scene, Ganymede is kidnapped to Olympus by Zeus , who has been transformed into an eagle . In addition, Zeus kidnaps Europe in the form of a bull , Perseus , the son of Zeus, frees the Ethiopian king's daughter Andromeda and Pluto , the ruler of the underworld, robs Proserpina , the daughter of Ceres . In two further scenes, the god Saturn kidnaps Philyra , the daughter of Oceanus , in the form of a stallion , and the centaur Nessos kidnaps Deïaneira , the wife of Heracles . The representation of the apotheosis of Aeneas closes the circle.

Ceiling painting of the dome
Syrinx is turned into reeds (left), kidnapping Ganymede (right)
Zeus kidnaps Europe in the form of a bull] (left), Perseus frees Andromeda (center), Pluto kidnaps Proserpina (right)
Saturn kidnaps Philyra (left), Nessos kidnaps Deïaneira (center), Aeneas is taken into the heaven of gods (right)

Apollo and Diana

The ceiling painting in the anteroom depicts the siblings Apollo and Diana . In the smaller scenes you can see putti holding arrows and a bow in their hands. The oval pictures show allegorical representations. A woman wrapped in a gold-colored cloak and depicted with ears of grain and a cornucopia can be understood as a symbol of abundance. The portrayal of a woman with a crown and scepter and a cornucopia overflowing with jewelry and gold coins is an allegory of wealth. A woman holding two snakes in her hands represents the virtue of wisdom . A female figure with a bloated face and a mug in hand is said to symbolize the vice of alcoholism.