Church of St. Joseph / Kostel Sv. Josefa - Chrudim (East Bohemia)
N 49° 57.059 E 015° 47.856
33U E 557219 N 5533485
Early-Baroque Church of St. Joseph (Kostel Sv. Josefa), the monastery church of the former Capuchin convent in Chrudim, built in 1662-1665, is a typical example of the austere and simple architecture of the Capuchin order.
Waymark Code: WM12FQC
Location: Pardubický kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/17/2020
Views: 14
Early-Baroque Church of St. Joseph (Kostel Sv. Josefa), the monastery church of the former Capuchin convent in Chrudim, built in 1662-1665, is a typical example of the austere and simple architecture of the Capuchin order. Church, owned now by town, serves after reconstruction as a Museum of Baroque Sculpture.
The construction of the Capuchin Church of St. Joseph began in the summer of 1662. In May of the same year, Capuchin order General Antonio of Capri in Rome approved the intention of Bishop Matouš Ferdinand Sobek of Hradec Králové to build a Holy Sepulchre together with stops commemorating Christ's suffering. The Capuchins often built their churches designed by the order's architects with a typical simple facade and a round window. In Chrudim, Father Paulus Palatinus supervised the construction and final concept of the convent and the church. The convent church was consecrated on July 26, 1665 by Bishop Sobek of Hradec Králové. Originally, the Archbishop of Prague, Arnošt Vojtech, Count of Harrach, was commissioned to consecrate the church and appointed a deputy due to illness. The Loreto Chapel was also a part of the convent complex.
During the Josephine reforms (end of the 18th century), the monastery was not abolished, but gradually fell into disrepair. After WWII, in 1947, the Capuchins demanded the abolition of the convention, and in 1949 the last members of the order left. The convent became state property and the church was deconsecrated. The Loreto Chapel interior and the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre interior were demolished in 1979 and 1985, respectively, due to their poor technical condition. The renovation of the complex did not occur until the beginning of the 21st century, when the town of Chrudim, thanks to funding from EU funds, began a generous reconstruction. In 2011, the premises of the former Capuchin church and parts of the convent were reopened to the public as the Museum of Baroque Sculptures. In addition to the preserved buildings, the Capuchin gardens were also reconstructed, which were transformed into a public park with a rosary.
Source: excerpted and translated from
Wikipedia
and
National Heritage Institute portal.