In the Cathedral of Brno on Petrov, the restoration of the presbytery has begun

Brno – In the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Brno today, after the morning mass, workers demonstrated the stone altar. This marks the beginning of the renovation of the space in front of the main altar. The diocese announced an art competition in 2019 aimed at unifying the dominant elements of the presbytery. In addition to the altar, the cathedral will also have a new ambo, from where the Bible is read during mass, a seat for the celebrant, candlesticks, and a processional cross.

The design by Michal Říčný, Petr Todorov, and Magdalena Říčná was successful in the competition. The main and unifying motif of the new elements will be a bronze mesh, loosely derived from the ornament on the neo-Gothic altar superstructure, which remains in the cathedral. Small details will refer to Saints Peter and Paul, the patrons of the main temple of the diocese.

The new elements of the presbytery will be consecrated by Bishop Vojtěch Cikrle on May 21. However, operations in the cathedral will not stop until then. As a temporary solution, a wooden table will be used in the temple for now, said pastor Tomáš Koumal to journalists.

The current altar table weighs about 1.7 tons and has served in the cathedral since the 1980s. It will now go to the Nepomucenum college in Rome, which is used by Czech students at Vatican universities. A similar altar table has been missing in the seminary chapel.

The bronze elements for the Cathedral at Petrov are in production; it is a technologically demanding process. The ornament first had to be transferred into a digital form and then cut with a water jet. "Now the parts are being welded, chiseled, and processed," said architect Michal Říčný.

A slab of Italian marble will then be placed on the bronze structure. Despite its weight, it should give an impression of lightness, even levitating. The architects aimed for the new elements to appear airy in their new interpretation of the presbytery. The space is quite cramped due to the historical development of the cathedral and could not bear more robust elements, said the other architect, Petr Todorov.

The relics of Saint Zdislava, a native of Křižanova in the Brno diocese, will be housed in the altar table.