In Glory and Praise

Permanent exhibition
Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum
View of the Gothic Madonnas in the exhibition
View of the Gothic Madonnas in the exhibition

The permanent exhibition “In Glory and Praise” situated in the impressive spaces of the former residence of the Olomouc chapter deans contains a selec- tion of more than two hundred items across a range of art forms. They are all linked with the Olomouc archdiocese either in terms of origin or provenance. The installation chronologically presents the history of the place from the Middle Ages up to the end of the period of Baroque culture in Moravia.

The collecting and artistic patronage activity of the Olomouc bishops and archbis- hops is paid special attention to along with the significance of the Olomouc chapter and the most precious liturgical items from previous metal and textiles. The Romanesque palace of Bishop Jindřich Zdík is an essential part of the museum tour along with the Gothic cloister with the chapel of St. John the Baptist.

The Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum was founded in the year 1998 as a joint project of the Roman-Catholic Church and the Czech State. The aim was to establish a specialised institution which would research, preserve and present exemplars of ecclesiastical art culture of a church origin from the historical territory of the Olomouc Archdiocese. On the basis of this agreement, a broad cooperation was developed in a short time among the Archbishopric of Olomouc and the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Wenceslas in Olomouc, which provided the new museum with the historic building of the Olomouc Chapter Deanery, and the Olomouc Museum of Art, which took over the care of the reconstruction of the building and professional administration. After the demanding reconstruction, the museum was officially opened to the public on 1 June 2006.

The permanent exhibition “In Glory and Praise” situated in the impressive spaces of the former residence of the Olomouc chapter deans contains a selec- tion of more than two hundred items across a range of art forms. They are all linked with the Olomouc archdiocese either in terms of origin or provenance. The installation chronologically presents the history of the place from the Middle Ages up to the end of the period of Baroque culture in Moravia.

The collecting and artistic patronage activity of the Olomouc bishops and archbis- hops is paid special attention to along with the significance of the Olomouc chapter and the most precious liturgical items from previous metal and textiles. The Romanesque palace of Bishop Jindřich Zdík is an essential part of the museum tour along with the Gothic cloister with the chapel of St. John the Baptist.

The Olomouc Archdiocesan Museum was founded in the year 1998 as a joint project of the Roman-Catholic Church and the Czech State. The aim was to establish a specialised institution which would research, preserve and present exemplars of ecclesiastical art culture of a church origin from the historical territory of the Olomouc Archdiocese. On the basis of this agreement, a broad cooperation was developed in a short time among the Archbishopric of Olomouc and the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Wenceslas in Olomouc, which provided the new museum with the historic building of the Olomouc Chapter Deanery, and the Olomouc Museum of Art, which took over the care of the reconstruction of the building and professional administration. After the demanding reconstruction, the museum was officially opened to the public on 1 June 2006.

tickets

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS OF THE ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

ZDÍK PALACE (CLOSED FROM 1ST OCTOBER TO 31ST MARCH)

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART + ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

tickets

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS OF THE ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

ZDÍK PALACE (CLOSED FROM 1ST OCTOBER TO 31ST MARCH)

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART + ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM

Exposure circuits:

COACH HOUSE

The exhibition in the Archdiocesan Museum opens in the space of the former coach house of the chapter deanery with the theme of the grand Baroque triumphal entrance of the Olomouc bishops and archbishops into the city. The most impressive artefact of this event is the exhibited ceremo-nial vehicle of the Olomouc Bishop Ferdinand Julius Troyer (1745–1758).

Golden Sun of Moravia

TREASURE HOUSE I 

The treasure house exhibits a se-lection of the most significant artistic craftsmanship of pre-cious metals from the Olomouc Archdiocese. It covers the styles of the Gothic, Renaissance and the Baroque.

ROMANESQUE  AND EARLY GOTHIC ART 

The Romanesque palace of Bishop Jindřich Zdík

A key figure for this exhibition is the figure of the Olomouc Bishop Jindřich Zdík (1126   –1150) and the wide spectrum of artistic activities which he influenced. A selection of sculptural works from Velehrad and the Olomouc Cathedral documents the beginnings and spreading of the Gothic style in Moravia.

HIGH GOTHIC  AND LATE GOTHIC ART 

The period of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th centuries is represented by extraordinarily quality work, primarily focused on remarkable examples of sculpture work in the Beautiful Style. The phase of the late Gothic and early Renaissance is mainly represented by sculptural work, demonstrating the frequent influence of Netherlandish realism.

TREASURE HOUSE II 

The second treasure house of the Archdiocesan Museum presents liturgical objects and garments used as part of the Christian mass services. Apart from the artistic and craftsmanship quality and historical value of the exhibited works, the symbolic importance and liturgical function is of particular significance.

Sebastiano del Piombo, Madonna with a Veil, around 1520

PICTURE GALLERY  OF THE OLOMOUC BISHOPS  AND ARCHBISHOPS 

The beginnings of the systematic art collecting of the Olomouc Bishops and Archbishops date back to the second half of the 17th century. The art gallery contains renowned works of Italian, Netherlandish and Central European origin.

IVORY CABINET AND COLLECTION  OF HANDCRAFT

The large Archbishop’s collec-tion of art works from ivory was accumulated by the Olomouc Archbishop Leopold Prečan (1923 –1947). European works of art from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque pe-riods are on display alongside French and German work from the 19th century and a rich col-lection of oriental carvings.

THE ARTISTIC PATRONAGE  OF THE OLOMOUC CANONS

The Baroque hall

The St. Wenceslas Chapter in Olomouc, founded by Bishop Jindřich Zdík in 1141, is one of the oldest chapters in Moravia. As part of the Estates society it served to guarantee the conti-nuity of the bishop’s and priest’s office. Their significant cultural activities included collecting and patronage of sacral art.

BAROQUE ART  IN THE OLOMOUC DIOCES

Artistic and cultural activity in the ecclesiastical environment of Moravia in the 18th century was co-created by influenc-es from Italy, the Danubian Basin as well as neighbouring Bohemia and Silesia. The exhi-bition of Baroque art situated in the southern wing of the former chapter deanery pre-sents the specific character of the Olomouc Baroque.

MUSIC IN THE OLOMOUC  ARCHDIOCESE 

The exhibition presents several renowned personages of music culture linked with the court of the Olomouc bishops and arch-bishops.

Logo EUROPEAN HERITAGE LABEL

OLOMOUC ARCHDIOCESAN MUSEUM – THE HOLDER OF THE TITLE “EUROPEAN HERITAGE LABEL”