To Glory and Praise

The Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum was founded in 1998 as a joint project of the Roman Catholic Church and the Czech state with the aim of establishing a professional institution that would research, preserve, and present monuments of spiritual artistic culture of ecclesiastical origin from the historical territory of the Olomouc Archdiocese. Based on this agreement, extensive cooperation quickly developed between the Archbishopric of Olomouc and the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Wenceslas in Olomouc, which provided the new museum with the historical building of the Olomouc capitular deanery, and the Olomouc Museum of Art, which took over the care of the monument's reconstruction and expert administration. After demanding reconstruction, the museum was solemnly opened to the public on June 1, 2006.

The establishment of the Archdiocesan Museum is significantly linked to the historical visit of John Paul II to Olomouc in 1995, when the Pope repeatedly called for its foundation. The idea of an archdiocesan museum is rooted not only in the continuity of spiritual tradition, reaching back to the Great Moravian period, but also in the uninterrupted line of artistic collecting and enlightened support of fine art by the Olomouc bishops and archbishops.

The location of the museum in the district of the former appanage Olomouc Přemyslid Castle on St. Wenceslas Hill fully corresponds to both the historical significance and the spiritual character of the place, which has been the seat of the episcopal church of Moravian metropolitans since 1141. Thanks to this fact, in 2015 the Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum was awarded the prestigious “European Heritage Label”, thus joining the monuments referring to the historical and spiritual roots of Europe.

Currently, the museum offers visitors two permanent exhibitions and a rich exhibition, cultural and educational program. The museum presents a selection of the most valuable and significant preserved artistic wealth of the Olomouc Archdiocese in the permanent exhibition “To Glory and Praise. A Thousand Years of Spiritual Culture in Moravia”. The history of the museum complex and its immediate surroundings from the earliest prehistoric settlement to the present day is dedicated to the second permanent exhibition “You Are Here. St. Wenceslas Hill through the centuries.”

Tickets

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS OF THE ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM in season, including Zdík Palace

ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM, MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Audio guide in the Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum

Exhibition sections:

The permanent exhibition is located in the representative spaces of the former residence of the Olomouc capitular deans. It contains a selection of more than two hundred exhibits across artistic genres, which are related to the Olomouc Archdiocese by their origin or provenance. The installation in chronological order covers the period from the Middle Ages to the fading of Baroque culture in Moravia. Separate attention is paid to the collecting and artistic patronage of Olomouc bishops and archbishops, the significance of the Olomouc chapter, and the most valuable liturgical objects made of precious metals and textiles. An integral part of the tour route is also the Romanesque palace of Bishop Jindřich Zdík and the Gothic cloister with the Chapel of St. John the Baptist.

Monstrance Golden Sun of Moravia, around 1650

CARRIAGE HOUSE

The exhibition of the Archdiocesan Museum opens in the former carriage house of the capitular deanery with the theme of the magnificent Baroque triumphal entries of the Olomouc bishops and archbishops into the city. The most splendid reminder of these is the ceremonial carriage of the Olomouc bishop Ferdinand Julius Troyer (1745–1758) on display.

TREASURY I

In the strongroom, a selection of the most valuable precious metal handicrafts from the Olomouc archdiocese is presented, covering the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

ROMANESQUE AND EARLY GOTHIC ART

The axis of the exhibition is the personality of the Olomouc bishop Jindřich Zdík (1126–1150) and the wide spectrum of artistic activities he influenced. The selection of other sculptural monuments from Velehrad and Olomouc Cathedral documents the beginnings and spread of the Gothic style in Moravia.

HIGH AND LATE GOTHIC ART

The period of the 14th and early 15th centuries is represented by exceptionally high-quality works, focusing mainly on unique examples of beautiful style sculpture. The stylistic phase of late Gothic and early Renaissance is represented primarily by sculptural works, demonstrating the early influence of Dutch realism.

TREASURY II

The second treasury of the Archdiocesan Museum presents liturgical objects and vestments used in Christian worship. In addition to the undeniable artistic qualities and historical value of the exhibited works, our attention is primarily focused on their symbolic meaning and liturgical function.

Baroque halls of the Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum.

Sebastiano del Piombo: Madonna with a Veil. Picture Gallery of the Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum

PICTURE GALLERY OF OLOMOUC BISHOPS AND ARCHBISHOPS

The beginnings of systematic art collecting by Olomouc bishops and archbishops date back to the second half of the 17th century. Part of their picture gallery presents the most significant works of Italian, Dutch, and Central European origin.

IVORY CABINET

A numerous collection of ivory artworks was assembled by Olomouc Archbishop Leopold Prečan (1923–1947). In addition to French and German works from the 19th century and a rich set of Oriental carvings, European medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque works are also represented here.

ART PATRONAGE OF OLOMOUC CANONS

The Olomouc Chapter of St. Wenceslas, founded by Bishop Jindřich Zdík in 1141, is one of the oldest chapters in Moravia. In terms of their cultural and artistic patronage, the canons were no different from the secular aristocracy. Their important cultural activities included collecting and patronage of sacred art.

BAROQUE ART

Artistic and cultural activity in the spiritual environment of Moravia in the 17th and 18th centuries was shaped by influences from Italy, the Danube region, neighboring Bohemia, and Silesia. The exhibition of Baroque art located in the south wing of the former capitular deanery brings closer the specific character of Olomouc Baroque.

MUSIC IN THE OLOMOUC ARCHDIOCESE

The exhibition presents some significant personalities of musical culture associated with the court of Olomouc bishops and archbishops.

project team

SCREENPLAY AND LIBRETTO | Gabriela Elbelová, Jana Hrbáčová, Helena Zápalková

EXPERT CONSULTANTS | Ladislav Daniel, Ivo Hlobil, Milan Togner, Pavel Zatloukal

EXHIBITION CURATORS | Gabriela Elbelová, Jana Hrbáčová, Helena Zápalková

COLLABORATION | Simona Jemelková, Martina Potůčková, Tomáš Lampar, Leoš Mlčák, Marta Perůtková

ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTION | HŠH architekti

GRAPHIC DESIGN | Petr Šmalec

RESTORATION WORKS | Romana Balcarová, Renata Bartoňová, Tatjana Bayerová, Petr Berger, Tomáš Berger, Vlastimil Berger, Alena Bergerová, Šárka Bergerová, Lukáš Bureš, Magdalena Černá, Marie Dočekalová, Petr Douda, Marie Foltýnová, Věra Frömlová, Katarína Gregorová, Mojmír Hamsík, Radana Hamsíková, Ivan Houska, Zdeněk Juppe, Ludmila Kaprasová, Marie Karenová, Radomil Klouza, Hana Kohlová, Miloslav Kubík, Jiří Látal, Vendula Látalová, Zdeňka Němcová, Václav Němec, Alois Póč, Dalibor Sedlák, Radomír Surma, Anna Svetková, František Sysel, Andrej Šumbera, Miroslava Trizuljaková, Václav Vondráček, Ladislav Vyskočil, Ladislav Werkmann, Radka Zahradníková, Ondřej Žák

INSTALLATION | Jan Kutra, Tomáš Lampar, Vlastimil Sedláček, Filip Šindelář, Ondřej Žák

Lenders:

Archbishopric of Olomouc, Benedictine Abbey of Rajhrad, Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians at Strahov, City of Miroslav, Metropolitan Chapter of St. Wenceslas in Olomouc, Comenius Museum in Přerov, Brno City Museum, National Heritage Institute – territorial expert workplace in Olomouc, Municipality of Lutín, Roman Catholic spiritual administration at the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Snow in Olomouc, Roman Catholic parishes: Boršice u Buchlovic, Březová nad Svitavou, Dobromilice, Dolany u Olomouce, Hněvotín, Hnojice, Hodslavice, Cholina, Jesenec, Jevíčko, Kopřivnice, Kostelec na Hané, St. Maurice Kroměříž, Křenovice u Slavkova, Litovel, Mohelnice, Moravičany, Moravská Huzová, St. Michael Olomouc, St. Maurice Olomouc, St. Wenceslas Olomouc, Ostrava-Zábřeh, Přemyslovice, Exaltation of the Holy Cross Prostějov, Rajnochovice, Rokytnice u Přerova, Slatinice u Olomouce, Staré Město pod Sněžníkem, Štěpánov u Olomouce, Šternberk, Tovačov, Uničov, Úsov, Velehrad, Zábřeh, Silesian Provincial Museum in Opava, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Regional Museum in Olomouc and private collectors.

ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM OLOMOUC IS…