This year, researchers and educators from EНU, Alexander Kolbasko, Sergey Сharevsky, and Alexey Lastovsky, continued their work on the «Cultural Path of Francysk Skaryna» project. On the third day of their scientific journey, participants were greeted by the city of Olomouc, rich in architectural landmarks and temples.
Joining the group of researchers was Pavel Kotov, a renowned historian and expert in medieval culture who lives and works in the Czech Republic. In Olomouc, the group’s attention was drawn to the Gothic Bernardine Church from the 15th century, located near the ancient monastery, as well as the archiepiscopal museum. This museum is a complex comprising objects of various chronologies and typologies: from the early Gothic episcopal palace and the ruins of the Přemyslid Castle to the cloister of the Cistercian monastery, several chapels, and a Baroque painting gallery.
Olomouc was a key point on the route from Prague or Vienna to Krakow. For example, Krakow Bishop Erazm Ciołek visited Olomouc to meet with Bona Sforza, who was headed to marry Sigismund the Old. The new Archdiocesan Museum of Olomouc opens up many interesting parallels. Both cities, Krakow and Olomouc, were heavily influenced by the German Renaissance at the end of the 15th century, especially due to the activities of Wit Stwosz. The results of the meticulous work of museum experts and designers are impressive: here is presented a vivid panorama of the rich and vibrant life of Olomouc in different historical periods.
The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc in the 1720s is the largest Baroque sculpture in Central Europe. This monument contains a multi-layered symbolic concept reflecting the celestial hierarchy. At the top of the column is depicted the Holy Trinity, and below it are compositions with the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and numerous saints associated with both the life of the Virgin Mary and the region and the city.
Continuing the journey from Krakow to Prague, our researchers visited a small Benedictine Botanical Garden near the Romanesque cathedral in Třebíč, as well as a unique cathedral and ancient Jewish quarter included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the magnificent cathedral. Later, the participants of the journey visited another city – Telč, the central square of which is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here, many beautiful houses from the 16th century, the period associated with Francysk Skaryna, have been preserved.
