Kaple Sv. Šebestiána / Chapel of St. Sebastian - Mikulov (South Moravia)
N 48° 48.386 E 016° 38.759
33U E 620854 N 5407244
Pilgrimage Chapel of St. Sebastian (Kaple Sv. Šebestiána), which crowns summit of limestone cliff Svatý kopecek (Holy Hill) above town Mikulov, is a fine example of the transition of late-Renaissance to Mannerism in ecclesiastic architecture.
Waymark Code: WMVM1Y
Location: Jihomoravský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/02/2017
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Pilgrimage Chapel of St. Sebastian (Kaple Sv. Šebestiána), which crowns summit of limestone cliff Svatý kopecek (Holy Hill) above town Mikulov, is a fine example of the transition of late-Renaissance to Mannerism in ecclesiastic architecture.
Bishop of Olomouc, Cardinal Franz of Dietrichstein, decided to express his gratitude to God for overcoming the plague by building of the St. Sebastian’s Chapel. Construction of the chapel, which cornerstone was laid on July 2, 1623, continued until 1630. The chapel is inetersting by its late-Renaissance design with touch of Manneerism, derived from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. A Way of the Cross comprised of seven chapels was also established on the top of Svatý kopecek at that time.
St. Sebastian’s Chapel is oriented structure with central disposition with Greek cross ground plan. The building gained its present appearance in 1714, when the Baroque sacristy was added to the eastern front of the chapel. The chapel was deconsecrated in 1786 as a result of the Josephine Reforms, and its fittings and furnishings sold off at auction. Around 1802, the building was used as a military store and powder-house. Sheep pasturage was later established on the hill' summit, and the sheep used chapel as the shelter during unpleasant weather. The chapel continued to fall into disrepair, and the last bits of the disintegrating roof were blown away in a gale in 1846.
Efforts to restore the former glory of the structures on Svatý kopecek only began to grow when Augustin Bartenstein became a Mikulov provost in 1861. Restoration work, which began the following year, was completed with the ceremonial reconsecration of St. Sebastian’s on September 8, 1865 in the presence of more than 15 000 people. A new tradition of the Way of the Cross on Svatý kopecek, associated with the tradition of pilgrimages to Mikulov’s Black Madonna of Loretto, began the same year.
Essential repairs, such as repairs to compensate for the damage caused by numerous natural disasters (and by gales in particular), were performed every year. The last comprehensive renovation of the exterior and interior of St. Sebastian’s was performed in the years 2014-2015.
[source: adapted from www.mikulov.cz]