Opening of the Archdiocesan Museum is approaching, the unique items are on site

Olomouc - The Šternberk Madonna from the end of the 14th century, the sculpture of the Olivet Mount from the mid-15th century, the Baroque monstrance Sun of Moravia, and the Renaissance painting Madonna with a Veil - these are just some of the unique pieces that will be presented at the Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc. This institution, unique in Central and Eastern Europe, will open to the public for the first time on June 1. Visitors will be able to view around 300 exhibits in the permanent exhibition, along with an additional 100 in the temporary exhibition Treasures of French Medieval Art in Czech and Moravian Collections.
"We have designed the exhibition to last several years, capturing the development of spiritual art in Moravia from two perspectives. Firstly, what has actually been created here over the thousand years since the Great Moravian Empire, and secondly, what the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc were concerned with and what they collected," said Pavel Zatloukal, the director of the Museum of Art, of which the Archdiocesan Museum is a part, to ČTK today. According to him, the experts have attempted to exhibit the highest quality pieces.
The permanent exhibition consists of several sections. The art of the Olomouc diocese chronologically captures the development of all artistic fields, from architecture and painting to goldsmithing. It includes the period from the Romanesque style to the end of the 18th century. Another part of the exhibition introduces one of the highest quality Central European collections of old painting. Special spaces in the textile cabinet and treasure room will present a unique selection of liturgical textiles and goldsmithing objects from the Gothic to the Baroque period.
According to the Archbishop of Olomouc, Jan Graubner, most works were created for churches. "Certainly, it is better when, for example, a Madonna is in a church and helps people in their prayer. However, I believe that people will be touched by works of art even in the museum. They are the embodiment of our spiritual past, offering something and can provoke many thoughts," the archbishop told reporters today. He added that copies were made for some churches whose works ended up in the museum.
The Museum of Art, including the Archdiocesan Museum, will become a state-funded organization starting in June. It has so far been established by the Olomouc Region, which allocated 27 million crowns to the Archdiocesan Museum last year and this year. "We recognize the importance of this institution and will continue to support it. We commit to the state that next year we will provide the museum with 27 million crowns from tax revenues," said Pavel Horák, the deputy governor of Olomouc, to reporters today.
The Archdiocesan Museum is being established in part of the national cultural monument Přemyslovský Castle. According to archaeologists, settlement in the area has been documented for 6000 years. The idea of restoring the Olomouc Castle appeared as early as the end of the 19th century. However, the fundamental impulse for its realization was the visit of Pope John Paul II to Olomouc. An architectural competition took place in 1998, and construction began two years later. The reconstruction of the building cost approximately 270 million crowns.