Chrám Nalezení sv. Kríže / Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross - Litomyšl (East Bohemia)
N 49° 52.334 E 016° 18.735
33U E 594292 N 5525250
Baroque Piarist Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross (Piaristický Chrám Nalezení sv. Kríže) is one of the imposing architectural dominant features of historic town Litomyšl in East Bohemia.
Waymark Code: WMQTW5
Location: Pardubický kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 03/28/2016
Views: 19
One of the imposing architectural dominant features of Litomyšl is the Piarist Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross (Piaristický Chrám Nalezení sv. Kríže). The owner of the Litomyšl demesne, Count Fratišek Václav of Trautmannsdorf, obtained the services of the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi to construct this fine baroque building. When he died in 1720 the construction work was passed to František Maxmilian Kanka.
Both the internal and exterior statues are the work of Matyáš Bernard Braun and his colleague Josef F. Pacak. In the second half of the 20th century the church was abandoned and the devastation reached such a scale that at the end of the 1970s its demolition was considered. On occasion concerts take place here as part of the International Smetana's Litomyšl opera festival.
A partial reconstruction of the church took place from 1991-1994. The roof was repaired (especially the dangerous condition of the timberwork), as were both towers and the façade. From 1997-2000 the college buildings were repaired. The Piarist church was completely reconstructed in 2011-2015 and nowadays serves as a cultural centre, gallery and quiet place for spiritual contemplation...
Piaristický chrám Nalezení sv. Kríže byl vystaven v letech 1714-1722 italským stavitelem Giovannim Battistou Alliprandim a po jeho smrti v roce 1720 dokoncen Frentiškem Maxmiliánem Kankou. Vnejší i vnitrní socharská výzdoba je dílem mj. Matyáše Bernarda Brauna a jeho spolupracovníka J.F.Pacáka.