The architect Santini should be looking forward to an exhibition of his plans

Žďár nad Sázavou – According to art historian Jiří Kotalík, an exhibition of plans created by architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel could remind us of him in due time. Dozens of these plans have survived, some even abroad, Kotalík said during today's part of Santini's Baroque festivities in Žďár nad Sázavou, which commemorate the anniversary of the pilgrimage church of Saint John of Nepomuk at Zelená hora, Santini's peak work.

"I believe that if this true artistic sovereignty and artistic mastery were presented to the public in this way, it would be an exceptional matter," Kotalík said. According to him, a good term for the exhibition would be 2023, marking 300 years since Santini's death.

This year's Santini festivities, which started on Friday and will conclude with a Sunday mass, commemorated 300 years since the beginning of the construction of the church, which has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1994.

Its tenfold reduced floor plan temporarily adorns the Žďár Republic Square. On Friday evening, it was created there by members of the association "Putování za Santinim" (Journey for Santini) in the style of the builder Santini. "We chose a scale of 1:10, which fits in the Žďár square," said Stanislav Růžička on behalf of the association. The floor plan of the church of Saint John of Nepomuk was created using circles. Santini, like the people from the association now, had to suffice with just a stake and a rope of corresponding length. "Santini relied on a base radius of 12 Prague feet. For us, this is the interior radius of the church, and then there are its multiples," Růžička explained.

More about the builder Santini and his work left in Žďár was shared today by Kotalík and historian Vít Vlnas. Their lectures were complemented by walks through the castle grounds, which was once a monastery. Santini's touch is evident on a number of structures including the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the prelature, and the stable.

Today, the festivities will conclude with a concert of Baroque music in the basilica, followed by a laser animation featuring lighting on Zelená hora and light images on the slope below it. It will begin at the Convent Pond at 21:30.

The pilgrimage church of St. John of Nepomuk, a peak work of 18th-century builder Santini, where Baroque intertwines with Gothic, was consecrated in September 1722. The impetus for its construction was given in 1719 by Abbot Václav Vejmluva of the Žďár Cistercian monastery. He was likely inspired by the discovery of preserved tissue in the grave of John of Nepomuk from the same year. The church is currently administered by the Roman Catholic parish, which took over the administration of the site in September 2014 from the National Heritage Institute as part of church restitution.