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Contents:
The impulse and preparation of the building
Countryside location of the church
The construction of the church
Symbology and architectural interpretation
Pilgrimage church equipment
Religious events at the time of glory and later decline
The church enlivens
Modern history
The impulse and preparation of the building
The pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk near the monastery in Žďár was built thanks to the longtime, close and immensely fruitful cooperation of two extraordinary people. The impulse was given by Václav Vejmluva, an abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Žďár, who was a proven devotee of John of Nepomuk before he was beatified as well as after he was canonized. The preparation of the project dates back to the period from late April to the beginning of August 1719 and is considered a direct reaction of the abbot to the discovery of preserved tissue in the tomb of John of Nepomuk in the St. Vitus Cathedral on 15 April 1719. The design of the building was entrusted to famous architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel to whom abbot Vejmluva is alleged to have presented his ideas about the new sanctuary and the symbols used, which was fully compliant with the requirement of the Church: “Fathers propose, artists create“. The architect then worked on the basis of the outline. Santini dealt with the project quite individually, without any respect to the traditions concerning the shapes of religious buildings; he only accepted the contemporary viewpoint of the structure of a pilgrimage destination. The architect melted the abbot´s idea of the church in which the main role was to be played by the pattern of a star, into an extraordinarily impressive form which was only appreciated by the modern time, yet not always. Friedrich Radnitzký, a member of the Central Committee, referred to the church as a "visually mysterious phenomenon" as late as 1886. The project was finished unusually quickly but this was nothing exceptional for Santini. Moreover, the abbot and the architect had cooperated together for many years and they were both specialists on symbology and the teaching of the Cabala which they used to a substantial extent in the project. Santini knew very well what the abbot wanted from him. Thus the resulting architecture must have been affected positively by the atmosphere of mutual understanding. The definitive shape of the building does not differ much from the first design and only a few changes were made.
Countryside location of the church
With respect to the importance attached to the church, and the activities assumed to be performed there, it was necessary to carefully choose the location where the church was to be built. In addition to meeting space requirements, the selected locality was surely expected to magnify the impression from unusual architectural shapes. The hillock located to the east of the monastery where the pilgrimage church was to be built, was originally covered with a dense forest. That was why it was called "Černý les" ("Black Forest"). The trees were cut down in connection with the building and the hillock was called "Zelená hora" ("Green Hill"), as a reference to the mother monastery of the religious house in Žďár and a place where John of Nepomuk had been born. The building has become a dominant point of the whole area due to its location on the top of the cut-over hillock.
It seems though that the ideal condition did not last long and after the church was closed, the free space around the church started to be used intensively. According to archive documents, Zelená hora had been partially covered with forest for a few years in 1839 (the north slope and part of the south slope), whereas the composition and quality of the trees were low. The remaining parts were covered, at many places, with bushes whose seeds had been spread there through air; they were used as cattle pastures. The owner of the manor, František Josef Prince Dietrichštejn, wanted to forest all of the areas. František Turinský, the then manager of the highest authority, did not recommended to do so regarding the low quality of the existing trees and the danger that the trees might be regularly destroyed by pilgrims. According to his opinion, it was most suitable to establish an English park but the Prince refused it because of huge financial costs. More modest adjustments approved by the Prince finally resulted in covering the whole area with forest in the 1840s though a wooden dancing room was established there to provide space for cultural enjoyment of the people for whom Zelená hora represented a tourist destination and a place to rest. The area remained forested until the beginning of the 21st century when the trees were cut again to revitalize the whole area. Thus today visitors have a chance to see the church in the same way as the locals and pilgrims saw it at the time of its greatest glory.
As we shall see in the following chapters, a place suitable in terms of convenience of the building in the country is not suitable in terms of the effect of climatic influences on the building, especially since the local country is among the less hospital ones. Used materials grow old and wear off quickly owing to the relative exposure of the area, which results in the need to maintain the monument much more often.
The construction of the church
Considering the period and the project to construct such a splendid building, they started to build the church at an unusual time, in the middle of the building season, on 13 August 1719. But it probably concerned preparatory activities, such as measuring the area and digging and building bottom walls of the future church, whereas experts assume that the bottom walls were higher than the terrain. In the meanwhile, it was surely necessary to ensure considerable material deliveries for the next year and to make agreements with a sufficient number of specialists and day labourers so that everything would be without complications.
They quickly continued the next spring under the leadership of builder Jan Jakub Vogler from Kutná Hora. A foundation stone was placed on the site on 16 May 1720 and the building was probably constructed as early as 1721. It was finished in the following year. The sanctuary was temporarily equipped and decorated in the same year. The church was dedicated to St. John of Nepomuk on 27 September 1722 but this did not mean that the work on the church ended. It was necessary to finish the ambulatory whose bottom walls were probably still waiting covered with earth. The church also needed permanent equipment and decoration. According to the reports, the ambulatory was finished only around 1740. Tough winters in the 1760s resulted in slight and, luckily, relatively sensitive building adjustments of the ambulatory. Some of the portals from the hall to the courtyard were walled up and gate and chapel portals were lowered.
Symbology and architectural interpretation
The ground plan of the church has the form of a five-point star. This fact is alleged to have been based on a legend saying that a crown made of five stars appeared at the place where John of Nepomuk had drowned. The symbol can be found in other elements of the building as well. The church is accessible through five entrances and there are five chapels and five alters in the church. The Latin word TACUI – I was silent – has five letters. The word is the meaning of the legend according to which the saint paid with his life for the fact that he had not revealed the secret confession of Queen Sophia. We could continue to enumerate the facts and symbols used in the church and characterized by number five.
The dome of the church is dominated by a big red tongue, an attribute of St. John of Nepomuk, surrounded by a circle of flames through which rays are shining. However, this is the result of the change in the original project which intended to place a central ten-point star there. The designer then gave it up due to the fact that precious relics had been secured for the new church: a lingula of St. John of Nepomuk (a bone to which the tongue is attached); he used the fact to strengthen the importance of the sanctuary, especially the shrine. The tongue symbolizes a weapon of victory – the sword of John the martyr. That is why some windows have the shape of a tongue; these are windows in the lantern chapels above the entrance halls in particular. Other windows are shaped as bishop mitres, which refers to the designer, abbot Václav Vejmluva. The last shape used for the windows is a spherical equilateral triangle symbolizing the Holy Trinity.
Pilgrimage church equipment
It was necessary to equip the church to allow the dedication which took place in 1722. The event had to manage without permanent decorations and the church was only equipped with permanent fittings gradually. The alter as the central and most important part of the equipment was designed by architect Santini himself. The background of the alter is formed by richly decorated and pleated baldachin on a pelmet. The central sculpture is that of St. John of Nepomuk standing on a globe and rising up optically. Five eight-point Cistercian stars on the globe represent 5 continents on which Christianity has been spread. The globe is surrounded with three angels located so as to form a V-shape; other two angels, equally high and placed on the sides, are drawing aside the baldachin which forms the background of the whole scene. There are three little angels above the head of the saint; one of them is holding a key in his hand and another one is holding seal, which we can once again understand as a reference to the silence of the saint. The side alters are dedicated to the Four Evangelists: Matthew with a book, Mark with a lion, Luke with a bull and John with an eagle.
Jan Pavel Czechpauer, a sculptor from Chrudim, started to work on the main alter as well as on the side alters which were again based on Santini´s designs. After he died, the main alter was completed by sculptor Řehoř Theny only in 1729; he also made sculpture decorations for the original pulpit. The silver pilgrimage sculpture of St. John of Nepomuk was made according to the Theny´s model by Prague goldsmith Jan Norbert Diesbach.
The ground plan of the ambulatory around the church has the form of a ten-point star and has five gates. The roofs of the gates were originally decorated with five statues of John´s virtues. Three of them have been preserved to this day; the sculptures used to be accompanied by coat-of-arms bearers. Contemporary source-books also mention bells: five of them are alleged to have been there. Only negligible part of once rich stucco decorations and ribs on the vaults has been only preserved. There are five chapels in the ambulatory, out of which one is decorated with fresco paintings. This chapel used to be called a German Chapel because masses were said there in German. The architect had designed the ambulatory together with the church but it was only finished after 1735. This means that the architect did not live to see his work complete because Santini died in 1723. The purpose of the ambulatory which is frequently part of pilgrimage destinations, fulfilled practical purposes. It was used by pilgrims who came to Zelená hora; the ambulatory provided them with a shelter in the rain and they even had rest in it and slept there. The courtyard walls were decorated, especially during festive events, with a number of legendary and symbolical scenes placed in cartouches. Tough winters resulted in minor adjustments of the ambulatory in the 1760s. Some of the portals from the hall to the courtyard were walled up and gate and chapel portals were lowered.
The cemetery had never been included in the original designs of the architect; the courtyard had been covered with grass until the 19th century so that nothing would disturb the perception of the central sanctuary and there would be enough space for pilgrims coming to the church. The terrain has increased owing to burials and the ambulatory has been "drowned", which damaged the fundamental purpose of the construction. No burials take place at Zelená hora today and the tombs are gradually relocated to a near-by new cemetery. The terrain shall be lowered to the original height and the area between the church and the ambulatory shall only be covered with grass like in the past.
Religious events at the time of glory and later decline
The church at Zelená hora has become one of the most visited pilgrimage places and a place where a number of many splendid Baroque feasts has taken place. That did not last long though. The crucial turning point in the life of the monastery as well as of the pilgrimage church occurred due to the fire on 16 July 1784; the fire destroyed the roof of the church and of the ambulatory. This was followed by a totally illogical request of then abbot Otto Steinbach of Kranichstein to close the church; he sent the request to the ruler. King Joseph II accepted the request in October of the same year although he intended to establish there an asylum for guilty priests convicted by religious authorities. Money was collected immediately after the fire, which was to allow to repair the damage caused to the church and the ambulatory. The only result of the collection was that the roof was covered temporarily. The rest of the unused money was returned back to the donators. When the authorities decided to close the church as well as the monastery, a list of all church inventory was made and valuables were taken away immediately. The church had a permit to say masses to celebrate St. John of Nepomuk in 1785. Nevertheless, the equipment was to be removed, which really happened later, though it was not removed completely. The organ was taken to the Church of St. Wenceslas (kostel sv. Václava) in Radešínská Svratka, the pulpit was moved to the Church of Virgin Mary (kostel P. Marie) in Obytčov and benches were given to the Church of St. Martin (kostel sv. Martina) in Jámy.
The church enlivens
Ater some years, at the end of 1791, Žďár and Nové Město citizens initiated an effort to repair and reopen the church. The governorate and regional authorities in Jihlava understood the wish of the people but bishop Lachenbacher in Brno did not. In spite of the attitude of the bishop, the governorate granted a permit in 1792 to reopen the church, under the following conditions: a cemetery from Žďár would be relocated to the church and the church would be used for burials, not as a pilgrimage destination. But the people still requested that church services and processions be restored. The bishop refused the request again and the governorate was not going to abandon their original conditions this time. They informed the people that if they did not accept the conditions, the church would be demolished and the material obtained would be put up for auction.
The decaying building thus got a new roof in July 1792 and other necessary adjustments were performed later. The roof of the ambulatory was repaired only in 1794 – 1802. It is necessary to say that all labourers and purchases of the most essential equipment were only financed from donations, both from the believers and from many former monks from Žďár. According to the contemporaries, it was priest Bonifác Procházka, a former Cistercian (and the namesake of V. Vejmluva´s secretary) who participated in the organization of the uneasy operation the most. He died in 1796 before the repairs were complete. Masses were said again in the church by 1800 while the repairs were still going on; some time later, maybe in 1803, pilgrimages were made to the church again. These pilgrimages were only a small reflection of the previous ones.
As written above, the church requires relatively frequent maintenance owing to the exposed location. Other repairs took place in 1815 – 1824 and this time they were coordinated by Josef Linek, a priest from Žďár. Again they were only financed from collections and it was the Hafenbrändl family who contributed to the preservation of the church to a large extent.
The manor in Žďár became private property in 1826. That meant a new element which might have affected the repairs of the the Church of St. John of Nepomuk positively or negatively. The new owner only had to take care of the local parish church (former monastery church) but he did not have to maintain the Church of St. John of Nepomuk. Thus possible contribution to the repair of the church at Zelená hora was quite up to the good will of the owner of the manor. Matěj Sychra, another important person in the history of the church, became the parish priest in 1824. The new owner of the manor, Vratislav of Mitrovice, suggested in 1826 that they continue to repair the sanctuary but he also suggested that they demolish the damaged ambulatory on that occasion. Sychra did not recommend to take the step and, fortunately, the Earl was not one of those who have their way at any cost.
It was necessary to provide at least some maintenance even many years after Sychra died. A storm pulled down part of the roofing in 1833, the truss roof of the church burned down in 1842 following a thunderstorm, the church was hit by lightning again in 1850 and part of the roof burned down once more. Other more extensive repairs were performed from 1857 to 1860 and they were mostly financed by Josef, Prince of Dietrichstein, the owner of the manor. The repairs, especially those of the ambulatory, were continued and partially financed in 1862 by the new owner of the manor, Klotylda Countess Clam-Gallasová.
The church was again in a poor condition about twenty years later and needed other adjustments. Financial resources required to repair the church were partially supplemented by state subsidies but the church was only repaired in 1903. The reconstruction did not concern the ambulatory which had to wait to be repaired. The scheduling of the work took quite a long time then, which was also caused by the fact that the process already involved the state and monument preservation institutes – so called Central Commissions. The procedure for approving the repairs thus delayed the repairs of the ambulatory until 1914 when the chance to start to repair the church was destroyed by the First World War.
Modern history
Only part of the church windows was replaced in postwar years 1922 and 1923 . The ambulatory was neglected and deteriorated. The Second World War and the postwar years meant a total lack of repairs and maintenance of the church. The pilgrimage destination became the property of the state in 1953 and the state also assumed the obligation to provide the maintenance. The church was reconstructed only in the 1970s and at the beginning of the 1980s. Regarding the development of the theory of monument preservation as a field of studies and the influence of the theory on everyday practises, the authorities started to prepare a series of reconstructions, process successively detailed researches and plan projects for the individual reconstructions. The reconstruction efforts as well as the identification of how to reconstruct the church authentically, did not sometimes avoided technical mistakes and problems started to occur concerning the professionality of the reconstruction. The new generations of craftsmen lacked experience and habits relating to the original technologies.
Authorities started to prepare documents allowing the inclusion of the church in UNESCO´s World Heritage List in 1994. UNESCO´s World Heritage Committee approved to include the pilgrimage church in the prestigious list at the end of 1994.
Thus the National Heritage Institute, a specialised organization, even strengthened the supervision of all happenings in the church. All steps concerning the repairs and reconstructions do not only have to be considered properly but they also need to be documented and presented in the so called monitoring report which is produced every year in connection with monuments included in the World Heritage List.
