Museum of Baroque Sculptures and Reconstruction of Monastic Gardens

Introduction
The heritage-protected complex of the Capuchin monastery, with the dominant structure of St. Joseph's Church, is part of the center of the town of Chrudim. After 50 years of emptiness and devastation, the church is becoming a municipal cultural institution, and its exhibition focused on rural Baroque sculpture exceeds regional significance. The monastery complex includes gardens, which, after reconstruction, create a public space functioning as an urban park, offering play activities (children's play elements, pétanque, a stage, etc.) and a recreational park zone.
The urban planning solution stems from an effort to integrate the new functions of the gallery into the surrounding environment, on one side the bustling School Square and on the other a quiet area of the monastery gardens, which, due to their position and size, serve as a unique tranquil green counterpoint to the stone historical center.

The Church
The architectural solution was inspired by the significance of the Capuchin simple life in faith and service, which was also reflected in the architectural typology of Capuchin monasteries. We aim to incorporate this sincere poverty – simplicity to austerity – into our approach to the solution of the new function of the church.
In reviewing the documentation and historical plans, we discovered an unusual original installation of the Loreto in the chapel (evident remnants on the western internal wall). This placement seemed so unique that we proposed a built-in element in our project to evoke this distinctive spatial atmosphere.
Our main emphasis is on preserving the original space of the church. In solving the installation of the gallery, we aim to create a visitor's feeling of "myself in the space and sculptures" compared to "myself with the sculptures in the space". The impression of a lapidary, where there are many objects and the character of the space is suppressed, must not be evoked. The entire church, including the sacristy, is accessible to visitors. The space is white – the wall and ceiling paintings are partially covered – overlaid with a delicate white semi-transparent glaze. This suppresses the diversity and unifies the gallery space, which is necessary for the installation of sculptures. The vibrant decoration of the church from the early 19th century is thus not in stark contrast with the installed sculptures. The original hierarchy of spatial division is transferred into different flooring materials. Existing small details of the church are preserved as reminders of its original function. The introduction of modern – contemporary expression is limited to built-in elements – a staircase leading down to the 1st floor (the church is built into the city moat, making it two stories towards the gardens), a built-in object in the Loreto chapel, and social facilities in the 1st floor. They are simple in shape and material, aimed solely at evoking the geometries of the original built-in elements while serving the new function of the gallery.
The basement space of the 1st floor is designed to make the original generous spatial concept as readable as possible. Due to the poor quality of existing surface finishes and the necessary intervention in the compositions of floors and walls (waterproofing constructions – moisture drainage from the space), the worthless surfaces are newly treated. Only under the western chapel are the frescoes preserved and restored according to restoration research. The ground floor is connected to a courtyard bordered by a retaining wall and linked by ramps to the gardens. The arcades at the courtyard level are simply glazed and create a thermal filter between the interior and exterior. Everything follows simple linear lines or planes so that there is no expressive collision with the original historic object.

Structural Solution – represents the static securing of walls, vaults, and roofs following detailed surveys. Additionally, drainage and dehumidification of the masonry in the lower part of the church were carried out. New constructions minimally impact the originals (the office installation is suspended from the level of the roof structure without unnecessary interventions in the outer walls). The work also involved the restoration and preservation of valuable paintings and precious stone, wooden, and metal architectural elements.

Distributions and Installations - Installation conductors are designed and routed with consideration for the state of the building. Maximum care was taken to preserve the original structures, including the plaster in the main nave.

Interior Lighting – its concept is based on the simple function of the lighting itself, in the spirit of Capuchin austerity – modesty. The targeted outcome is, nevertheless, a strong experience of the space and exhibition.

Exterior Lighting - is designed as gentle illumination of the main portal, side entries, supplementary lighting for paths, ramps, and stairs, lighting for the courtyard, and illumination of the information panel in front of the main entrance.

AV Equipment - in the gallery spaces primarily serves to create an atmosphere – background music for the exhibition. AV equipment in the projection room, which is acoustically separated, is addressed independently from the museum's operation. The audiovisual equipment is designed with an emphasis on high-quality transmission of spoken word, chamber concerts, and with additional equipment for conference operations and other social events.

Monastic Gardens
A Place with Memory The gardens lie just behind the town's fortifications above the Chrudimka River. For the last 50 years, they have served as the garden of a special school. The task involved an interesting combination of several factors. The gardens are intended for the stay of children and seniors and should also provide a pleasant route to the city center. They are to serve the public while also being a backdrop for the school. They are located at a historical site but must serve today's people.
The design was inspired by the historical development of Capuchin gardens and the shaping of the place. The monastery gardens consisted of four parts: a vegetable garden, a grafting garden - orchard, a paradise courtyard, and a cemetery for the monks (which did not exist in Chrudim). In the project, we referred to this historical division while also proposing a contemporary stay park. The shape of the land helped create natural boundaries between the different parts. We did not want to change the terrain dramatically and expensively, but rather to decode it and merely enhance it. We advocate the idea of long-term memory of the landscape, which cannot be forcibly suppressed or erased.

Gardens of Many Senses / Sensory Gardens
The new arrangement returns a tripartite division to the gardens. At the entrance from the town, there is a pronounced gravel plain – Plato. Behind it is a renovated orchard – Grafting Garden. And in a special enclave, still within the city walls, is a rose garden – Rosarium.
Plato is created on the existing level – a generous space framed by the monastery on one side and open to distant views on the other. The location behind the "castle or fortress" evokes the atmosphere of French formal gardens. The gravel-covered plain provides the main stay area of the gardens. It offers visitors unrestricted movement due to its surface. A pathway crosses it, continuing from the entrance to the wooden Promenade that separates Plato from the Grafting Garden. On Plato, play and social activities are concentrated, shaded by the massive crowns of solitary trees: a relaxation structure for the youngest children, a pétanque court, and a platform for musical performances. Plato is the highest point of the monastery gardens – the trees catch the wind. Games, music, and the rustling of leaves in the crowns of the tall trees define PLATO as a garden of auditory sensations.
The Grafting Garden begins at the original terrain break, below the wooden path of the Promenade, and slopes down to the monastery wall above the river – the terrain here forms a natural dip, making it a more intimate area. It has the atmosphere of an English park and is conceived as a lush meadow with an orchard and a water reservoir. It is the most varied-shaped part of the gardens. Movement in the tall grass is facilitated by mown gravel paths, overgrown with grass. The preserved fruit trees are supplemented with new ones. Fruit from the trees, herbs, and cool water from the reservoir define GRAFTING GARDEN as a garden of tastes. The grass encourages midday rest. At the end of the Grafting Garden is the "sunny" KORZO – a wide gravel path along the northern wall facing south. It allows for seating on benches and sunbathing. Next to the seating are organized longitudinal flowerbeds of the herb garden. These flowerbeds also serve for elementary school education. KORZO can be accessed through a gate from the Chrudimka River.
The paradise garden - Rosarium, surrounded on three sides by a full wall, forms a quiet corner. It is an intimate place, a rose garden full of small flowers, trimmed hedges, and regular flowerbeds - ROSARIUM as a garden of scents and colors. It is enclosed on two sides by a hedge from the disruptive activities of the school and police, and on the remaining sides, it is closed off by the former city fortifications with a bastion - Prachárna.
All parts of the gardens are interconnected by park paths that follow the shape of the terrain and their gentle curves invite leisurely walks. The uniqueness of the environment is complemented by individually designed entries for visitors and artistic play elements.

Tools for Garden Use
The gardens consist of two basic elements – surfaces (including vegetation) and small structures. The small structures are designed to be shape-simple and expressive. The material is predominantly of a natural, solid character (wood, steel, concrete) and combines functional properties with a pleasant stable feel. Each of the spaces has its special objects, while some penetrate them and unify the entire environment. Among the small structures in the gardens are entries, ramps, a wooden walkway, a stage, walls, benches, fencing, and artistic elements.
Each entry has its strong individuality. The entry from the river is created at the site of a niche in the old garden wall as an elegant concrete frame. The entry from the suburbs has a prominent framing with massive beams, as it connects to a wooden walkway – Promenade, which runs through the gardens, incorporates existing trees, and ends at a prominent wooden ramp – the entrance to the Rosarium. The ramp arches above the Grafting Garden and serves as a lookout and a stage. On Plato, a circular wooden stage is placed, which can serve for dancing, concerts, or just seating. Wherever the Garden is not bordered by an old wall, new fencing is designed as a delicate transparent element, not obstructing the view of the church in the background of the gardens. The wide stairs leading to the school can serve as seating. Benches are intentionally designed in three widths for one to three people (or lying down) and are grouped on Plato into "living room sets" to allow for natural contact opposite each other. Plato is complemented by pétanque courts.
An important part of the gardens are the artworks, which also serve as play elements. They were designed and created by the artist Lenka Klodová. They are essentially animated gardening tools – ladders, knockers with suspended nets, and a "bucket" as a pleasant water element. Standardized elements, which create a unified, supermarket feel through repetition, were deliberately not used. A unique place such as the Monastic Gardens undoubtedly deserves an individual approach.