Clementinum in Prague - a treasury of medieval culture

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Prague is rightfully considered the center of science, culture and religion due to its amazing architecture, perfectly preserved to this day. Despite the rich heritage that every lane in the historic city boasts, the most outstanding is the Clementinum architectural ensemble, which for many centuries has been and remains the main center of religion, education and culture.

1. The history of the creation of the architectural complex Clementinum

The architectural and historical ensemble Klementinum occupies a huge area of 2 hectares, in importance and area it rivals the main attraction of the country - Prague Castle. The ensemble consists of several courtyards and buildings, the last of which were created in the Baroque style (dating back to the 17th - 18th centuries), which are the decoration of modern Prague. It is known for certain that at this place, starting from the 11th century, there was a chapel built in honor of St. Clement, who lived at the beginning of the 1st century. - one of the "men of the apostles" widely revered in Kievan Rus and the entire Christian world.

Over time, this holy place was looked after by the monks of the Dominican order, who built their monastery and churches here, laid out gardens. In 1552, the Jesuits opened a collegium on this territory, which became the largest training center for Jesuits in the world. Considering that the Dominican order was disbanded, after 3 years all their possessions passed to the Jesuits, who began to actively expand the educational and cultural functions of the once religious complex, creating a school, a printing house, a university and even a theater.

2. The structure of the historical and cultural complex Clementinum

The historical ensemble of Clementinum has been expanding over the centuries due to the creation of new buildings and the transfer of the main educational and cultural sites from other parts of the city (such as, for example, the legendary library of Charles University).

In total, there are 30 unique structures and 2 beautiful gardens on the territory of the complex. The main attractions of Clementinum, causing increased interest among citizens, scientists and tourists, are:

- the most beautiful university library in the world;

- a unique astronomical observatory;

- a mirror chapel, in which divine services are held on major holidays, wedding ceremonies on weekends, and classical music concerts almost every day;

- mathematical museum;

- a weather station in which scientists (for the first time in Central Europe) began to collect, analyze and store data on temperature and weather conditions. It was here in 1604, being an exile of his native country, that the German astronomer Johannes Kepler discovered the laws of motion of the planets of the solar system;

- the astronomical tower (the tallest building in the complex), which was decorated with the figure of Atlant;

- clock tower;

- the oldest printing house in the city.

In the courtyard of the architectural and historical complex, there is also something to see and where to walk, enjoying the beauty of the buildings. Tourists love to watch the sundial, walk around a tiny artificial lake stylized as a fountain, or see the original sculptures that adorn the territory of the complex.

3. Architectural features of Clementinum

As an example of European architecture of the 17th-18th centuries, the Clementinum ensemble is an invaluable historical and cultural monument, which includes unique public buildings. Those impressive structures that we can see were now erected during the heyday of the Habsburg dynasty - an era when the Baroque style, the most beautiful of all styles, came into vogue. The surviving buildings of Clementinum are of historical value and are considered unique masterpieces created by the best foreign masters of that time: Francesco Caratti, Carlo Lurago, Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, Frantisek Maximilian Kanka, Domenico Orsi, Avraham Leitner, Jean Baptiste Mate and others.

The interior design of public buildings also deserves special attention. The design of most of the buildings surprises with its rich, one might even say luxurious decoration, especially in the library and the mirror chapel. In their halls, unique frescoes, gilded stucco moldings, bas-reliefs, ornate columns and many other decorative elements have been perfectly preserved.

4. Prague National Library Clementinum

The National Library of Prague Clementinum is one of the most important and beautiful libraries in the world. The first thing that catches the eye of those who first crossed its threshold is the rich interior decoration, which distracts from reading so much that everyone who came to work with the oldest manuscripts or valuable specimens first studies the interior. Particularly impressive are the frescoes that can be seen not only on the walls, but also on the dome - it depicts the Temple of Wisdom.

In addition to its incredible beauty, it performs the main function - a repository of unique books. At the moment, her collection is about 7 million books, but the main asset, of course, are the most ancient manuscripts. Its treasury contains 4, 2 thousand incunabula - the rarest examples of handwritten books of the Middle Ages, among which you can see the "Visegrad Codex" dated 1085.

Help from Novate. Ru editors:Incunabula are handwritten books written before the beginning of printing in Europe (before January 1, 1501).

5. Mirror chapel (chapel)

The Mirror Chapel was built in 1720 - 1724. in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Its harmonious design pleases with a combination of marble, gilded stucco molding, perfectly matched colors, frescoes and the presence of huge mirrors located on the walls in a special way. Thanks to the mirrors, in fact, the small room has visually increased several times, and if we take into account the reflection in them of the amazing beauty of the frescoes created by Jan Khibl and Vaclav Lavrentiy Rainer, fragments of mirror mosaics on the vaults of the ceiling and "star" floor, then it is not possible to provide a stunning and mesmerizing environment. made up labor.

The Mirror Chapel is the only building of the historical and architectural complex Clementinum, which is open every day. It hosts concerts, mainly of classical music, although if you're lucky, you can hear jazz or modern hits performed by the best orchestras in the Czech Republic. Recently, the chapel has become a favorite place for weddings, so newlyweds from all over the country strive to hold the ceremony here.