Wenceslas Cathedral

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Wenceslas Cathedral, Olomouc

The Wenceslas Cathedral (Czech. Katedrála svatého Václava ) in the Moravian university town of Olomouc (Olomouc) is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olomouc . The church, dedicated to St. Wenceslas of Bohemia , was founded at the beginning of the 12th century and was given its predominantly neo-Gothic appearance at the end of the 19th century .

History and architecture

Prince Svatopluk († 1109) founded the church within the walls of the Olomouc Castle . The Romanesque basilica was founded on June 30, 1131 consecrated ; it took another ten years to complete. Under Bishop Heinrich Zdik († 1150), the bishopric was moved from St. Peter's Church here. Parts of the nave walls and the tower foundations have been preserved from the original building.

Inside to the east

In 1265 a fire destroyed the Romanesque cathedral. The new building as a Gothic hall church took place under Bishop Bruno von Schauenburg († 1281). The cloister was completed in the 14th century. In 1306, King Wenceslaus III, who was murdered in Olomouc, was born . buried in the cathedral, in 1326 his body was transferred to the burial place of the Přemyslids in the collegiate church Königsaal .

Of the renovations in the following centuries, the construction of a new choir was the most important. It was created 1616–1618 under Bishop Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein in the Mannerist style. With its window shapes and its height of 23 meters, it is still clearly recognizable in the exterior.

In 1803 a lightning strike and subsequent fire destroyed the Gothic double tower facade and the south tower. The facade was renewed in the classical style.

From 1883, under Bishop Friedrich Egon von Fürstenberg, the cathedral was redesigned to match the taste of the time. The architects were Gustav Meretta († 1888) and Richard Völkel . They created the representative neo-Gothic west facade with the two adorned towers and the over 100 m high octagonal south tower on the upper floor . The interior was completely regotized.

The furnishings, with the exception of some baroque chapels, also date from the end of the 19th century. The reliquary of St. John Sarkander enjoys great veneration .

Maria Theresian coronation regalia

There are numerous valuable paraments in the cathedral's treasury . Among other things, the complete pontifical regalia is kept there, which, according to tradition, the Bishop of Olomouc Jakob Ernst Graf von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn wore in 1743 at the coronation of Maria Theresa as Queen of Bohemia. Based on stylistic criteria, Vienna is generally assumed to be the place of origin in research literature. On the other hand, there is discussion about the period of origin: In one source it is written that the regalia was specially made for the occasion shortly before the coronation ceremony. On the other hand, the opinion was expressed that the bishop was an older, but very resplendent vestments from the 1710s years, because for the production of extensive vestments there had not been enough time. The embroidery of the entire regalia was transferred to a new silk fabric with a striking moiré effect by the Viennese company Fellinger & Hassinger in the 1880s . As a result, among other things, the lining with the inventory notes was lost.

The associated miter is decorated on both sides with identical, strongly symmetrical floral embroidery. A massive flower structure grows out of a bell-shaped blossom, from which further blossoms and leaves sprout on the sides. A rose blossom forms the top. Pink and violet colors dominate, there are also green and blue color gradations. The decoration is framed by golden embroidered borders. The Pendilien ribbons are decorated with similarly embroidered borders and floral embroidery in between.

The pontifical regalia was shown at two exhibitions in Olomouc , in 2010 at the extensive exhibition in the Archdiocesan Museum on the Olomouc Baroque, three years later at the exhibition on liturgical textiles in the Olomouc Cathedral. In 2017, the coronation was mitra by Austria to the Abbey Museum Klosterneuburg borrowed, where they at the annual exhibition of Maria Theresa was presented.

Web links

Commons : St. Wenceslas Cathedral  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • Josef Matzke : Olomouc church history . 5 volumes. Sudeten German Priestly Society Königstein 1969-1975

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dana Veselská: Textilie a výšivky 17. a 18. století ve sbírce Metropolitního chrámu sv. Václava v Olomouci . Brno 1995, p. 73-75 .
  2. ↑ Exhibition catalog Olomoucké baroko. Výtvarná kultura let 1620-1780 . tape 2 . Olomouc 2010, p. Cat. No. 469 .
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Huber (Ed.): Church - Monastery - Empress. Maria Theresa and sacred Austria . Klosterneuburg 2017, ISBN 3-902177-48-9 , p. Cat. No. S. 4a / S. 93 .

Coordinates: 49 ° 35 ′ 52 ″  N , 17 ° 15 ′ 45 ″  E