Czech Gothic architecture

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Choir of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague built by Matthias of Arras and Peter Parler in 1344–1385[1]

Czech Gothic architecture refers to the

architectural period primarily of the Late Middle Ages in the area of the present-day Czech Republic (former Crown of Bohemia, primarily consisting of the Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia
).

The

Gothic style first appeared in the Czech lands in the first half of the 13th century and was usual there until the early 16th century. The phases of the development of the Gothic architecture in the Czech lands are often named after the Bohemian
ruling dynasty of the corresponding time:

The most significant Gothic architects who worked in the Czech lands (especially in Bohemia) were Peter Parler and Benedikt Rejt.

Early Gothic

Portal of the church of Porta coeli Convent in Tišnov near Brno, Moravia, 1230s.
Portal of the Old New Synagogue in Prague using vine-leaf motifs, after 1270.

The Gothic style penetrated the Czech lands in the first half of the 13th century – in the time when the

Minnesingers, participated in tournaments, got their coat of arms and built castles of stone. Thanks to the newly found silver mines the Kingdom was becoming richer (e. g. Jihlava, Stříbro or Kutná Hora).[3]

In the 1240s last purely Romanesque churches were built (e. g. in

Order of Cistercians. Their buildings were not very fancy and they often used leaf and berry motifs, especially on the capitals.[3] The Cistercians were the most important builders of the very Early Gothic style architecture in the Czech lands.[2]

Teplá Abbey Church, Bohemia, consecrated in 1232

The Church of

French cathedrals was unique in Central Europe of that time.[3]

The

The oldest Gothic building in Prague is the

Convent of St. Agnes founded in 1231 by the Bohemian Princess Agnes of Bohemia (later canonized). It was the first convent of the Poor Clares outside Italy. The first church of this convent (St. Francis Church) was completed in 1234 and it is said to be the oldest vaulted mendicant order church north of the Alps. The Church of Christ the Saviour built in 1261–1265 as the royal mausoleum of Přemyslid dynasty by King Ottokar II of Bohemia was directly influenced by the French Gothic architecture.[3]

Arcades of Royal Castle in Písek form the second half of the 13th century

In the new-founded rich

Dominicane) in the 1240s which also belong to the oldest preserved Gothic churches in the Czech lands.[7]

After the 1260s the influence of the Cistercian style diminished and the Czech architecture was then inspired by the French High Gothic architecture. In southern Bohemia there worked the royal builders employed by the King Ottokar II of Bohemia. In the Royal Town of Písek there they built some important buildings (Royal Castle, Písek Stone Bridge, parish church). They also built the Zvíkov Castle with a central court surrounded by arcades in two levels inspired by the cloister — typical element of the monastic architecture. The chapel of the castle was completed in 1270.[7]

Other important castles are the royal Bezděz Castle (with its beautiful chapel) and Křivoklát Castle, the bishop's Horšovský Týn Castle (its chapel has been preserved, other parts were later rebuilt). In Moravia there are the Špilberk Castle in Brno, Veveří Castle, Buchlov, Hukvaldy or others.[7]

The

Old Town of Prague was built around 1270 by stonemasons of the royal workshop who also built the Convent of St. Agnes. This twin-nave synagogue is one of the oldest preserved in Europe and the oldest still active in Europe.[8]

The style of the Old New Synagogue resembles the Cistercian monasteries Zlatá Koruna (founded in 1263) and Vyšší Brod (founded in 1259). In Vyšší Brod very precious Early Gothic Chapter hall from 1285 has been preserved. These monasteries were then completed in the High Gothic style.[9]

High Gothic

Late Přemyslid Gothic

Sedlec Cathedral in Kutná Hora

The High Gothic period in the Czech lands started during the reign of the King Wenceslaus II in the 1290s. In that time the Gothic style in the Czech lands changed. The new buildings started to emphasize the verticality and light very strongly.

In the Cistercian Sedlec Abbey near Kutná Hora, the first church in the style of French Gothic cathedrals in the Czech lands was built around 1300. It is called the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist and although it was rebuilt in the 18th century in the Baroque Gothic style its presbytery, main nave and transept didn't lose its original appearance. It is considered to be one of the first High Gothic buildings in the Czech Republic[9] and it was also inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.[11]

A very similar church was built in another Cistercian monastery in Zbraslav. In its time it was the biggest church in Bohemia – it was 104 meters long.[12] The Zbraslav Cathedral was destroyed during the Hussite Wars.

Luxembourg Gothic

Bridge Tower of Charles Bridge in Prague

The first king of the new

John of Luxembourg was not a great founder of new buildings. He probably rebuilt the Stone Bell House on the Old Town Square in Prague after 1310. In this time the house was decorated with great statues and paintings and was probably used as a royal residence instead of the Prague Castle which was uninhabitable after the fire in 1303.[9]

The

Lesser Town of Prague (was destroyed during the Hussite Wars).[13]

The reign of Charles IV and Wenceslaus IV

The heyday of the High Gothic art in the Czech lands came with John's son Charles IV. This young Bohemian Prince came to Bohemia in 1333 from France where he had been raised at the French royal court. Then he became as the first king of Bohemia the Holy Roman Emperor and so Prague became the imperial residence. The reign of Emperor Charles IV and his son King Wenceslaus IV is one of the very few periods of the Czech art when it was at the comparable level with the European development and even became the leading force in the development of European art.[14]

Old Town of Prague built by Parler
's workshop

Charles IV was a very important supporter of art. He founded many new buildings, for example the most important High Gothic building in the Czech Republic – the

Karlštejn Castle in central Bohemia. The building of the cathedral was interrupted by Hussite Wars and was completed first in the early 20th century.[15] Charles IV also ordered to rebuild the Old Royal Palace at the Prague Castle, his son Wenceslaus IV
then continued in the rebuilding after Charles's death.

Another important building of Prague High Gothic architecture is Charles Bridge with its Old Town Bridge Tower built by Petr Parler and which is one of the largest and most beautiful Gothic gates in Europe.[14] [16]

Petr Parler also designed the new presbytery of St. Bartholomew Church in Kolín (Czech: Kostel sv. Bartoloměje). The work of Petr Parler later became a great inspiration for central-European Late Gothic architects.[17]

The most important Czech High Gothic castle is the

Theodoric of Prague, its golden ceiling resembles the sky with stars, sun and moon.[17]

During the reign of Wenceslaus IV the Gothic style changed a bit into the so-called International Gothic which was characterized by replacing monumentality with elegance (therefore it is also known as the "Beautiful style"). Typical for the International Gothic architecture especially in Central Europe were the hall churches. The hall churches usually also had thin tall columns supporting the vault. Typical examples of International Gothic architecture in the Kingdom of Bohemia are the south-Bohemian churches of St Giles in Třeboň (Czech: Kostel sv. Jiljí) and of St Vitus in Soběslav (Czech: Kostel sv. Víta). The king himself ordered to rebuild the Italian Court in Kutná Hora and to build the Točník Castle.[17] Another important church was St Vitus Church in Český Krumlov built after 1407 as a hall church with a net vault in the main nave.

  • Baroque drawing of the destroyed Cathedral of Zbraslav Monastery, c. 1300
    Baroque drawing of the destroyed Cathedral of Zbraslav Monastery, c. 1300
  • Church of Vyšší Brod Monastery, c. 1300
    Church of Vyšší Brod Monastery, c. 1300
  • Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Brno, after 1323
    Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Brno, after 1323
  • Church in Roudnice nad Labem founded in 1333 by Prague Bishop Jan IV. z Dražic
    Church in Roudnice nad Labem founded in 1333 by Prague Bishop Jan IV. z Dražic
  • Karlstejn Castle, Bohemia, 1348–1357
    Karlstejn Castle, Bohemia
    , 1348–1357
  • Stone Bell House in the Old Town of Prague, after 1310
    Stone Bell House in the
    Old Town of Prague
    , after 1310
  • Charles Bridge in Prague after 1357
    Charles Bridge in Prague after 1357
  • Church of St. Bartholomew in Kolín with its high presbytery, 1360–1378
    Church of St. Bartholomew in Kolín with its high presbytery, 1360–1378
  • Kašperk Castle, southwestern Bohemia, after 1356[18]
    Kašperk Castle, southwestern Bohemia, after 1356[18]
  • Interior of St Vitus Church in Český Krumlov, after 1407
    Interior of St Vitus Church in Český Krumlov, after 1407

Late Gothic

The heyday of the High Gothic architecture in the Crown of Bohemia was stopped by the outbreak of the

Lesser Town of Prague which was built at the expense of King George after 1464.[19]

Jagiellonian Gothic

The bad situation of the Czech art caused by wars and political instability was improved after 1471 when a Catholic Polish prince

Elisabeth of Luxembourg granddaughter of Charles IV) became the new king of Bohemia and especially after 1485 when religious freedom was enacted (for Catholics and Hussites) and so the religious wars finally ended.[20]

St. Barbara's Church in Kutná Hora

While the Renaissance style flourished in Italy and Western Europe and Hungary were under its influence, the Czech art returned in its style to the legacy of the old Gothic masters. Bohemia was not the only country which did not accept the Renaissance art very early and tried to develop the older Gothic style into new forms – it was also the case of Austria, Bavaria, Saxony[20] or England (see Tudor architecture). Although they still used the Gothic style, they slowly started to mix it with some Renaissance elements.

The most important architect of the Czech Late Gothic style was Benedikt Rejt who worked for the King Vladislaus. He rebuilt Prague Castle in the Late Gothic style and also used some Early Renaissance elements. Rejt's masterpiece is the Vladislav Hall in the Old Royal Palace of Prague Castle which was completed in 1502, and was at its time the largest secular vaulted space (without inner supporting columns) at least in Central Europe.[21][22]

Benedikt Rejt completed the St. Barbara's Church in Kutná Hora in the Late Gothic style using a vault very similar to the vault of the Vladislav Hall. This church has a typical Late Gothic tent roof.

Together with Hans Spiess Benedikt Rejt built the Royal Oratory in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle after 1490. The interesting vault of this oratory has naturalistically executed dry cut branches, tied with strong ropes at the top of arches, instead of usual ribs.

Frankfurt am Main also rebuilt the royal Křivoklát Castle in central Bohemia.[24]

Another important Late Gothic architect was

Powder Gate in Prague in 1475–84[25]
which was inspired by the Old Town Bridge Tower.

In Brno Austrian architect Anton Pilgram was active where he designed the very interesting portal of the Old Town Hall.[24]

See also

References

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  4. ^ "History". Klášter Teplá (in Czech). Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Historie". Porta Coeli (in Czech). Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Třebíč UNESCO site". UNESCO Czech Republic. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  7. ^ .
  8. ^ "The Old-New Synagogue". Synagogue.cz. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  9. ^ .
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  11. ^ "Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec". UNESCO. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
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  13. ^ "Biskupský dvůr". Hrady.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 July 2013.
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  16. ^ "Old Town Bridge Tower". Královská cesta. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  17. ^ .
  18. ^ "History". Kašperk Castle. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Lesser Town Bridge Towers". Královská cesta (The Royal Route). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  20. ^ .
  21. ^ Poche, Emanuel (1983). Praha středověká (in Czech). Praha: Panorama. p. 349.
  22. .
  23. .
  24. ^ .
  25. ^ Poche, Emanuel (1983). Praha středověká (in Czech). Praha: Panorama. pp. 341–343.
  • Bartlová, Milena. "Conflict, Tolerance, Representation, and Competition: A Confessional Profile of Bohemian Late Gothic Art." Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice 5.2 (2005): p. 255-66.

Further reading