The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross () is a Catholic parish church in

Prostějov Prostějov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is historically known for its fashion industry. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zo ...

in the

Olomouc Region Olomouc Region (; , ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia (''Morava'') and in a small part of the historical region of Czech Silesia (''České Sl ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It is dedicated to the

Exaltation of the Holy Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the cross used in the crucifi ...

. The building is the landmark of the city and it is its oldest monument.

History

The church was founded together with an Augustinian monastery on the site of the original fortress in 1391 by nobleman Petr of Kravaře. The monastery was consecrated to

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary In Christianity, the Visitation, also known as the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, refers to the visit of Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, in the Gospel of Luke, . The episode is ...

at Elizabeth in the Mountains Shortly after its building-up, in 1430, it was burnt out by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

. Within the years 1522 and 1588, it was restored by the

Utraquists Utraquism (from the Latin ''sub utraque specie'', meaning "under both kinds"), also called Calixtinism (from chalice; Latin: ''calix'', borrowed from Greek ''kalyx'', "shell, husk"; Czech: ''kališníci''), was a belief amongst Hussites, a pre-P ...

. Together with the city, the church had to withstand a huge devastating fire in 1697 when it was completely destroyed. From the time of the conflagration only a wooden cross was saved during that fire. On the request of parishioners and with the permission of the Bishop of Olomouc, Miraculous Cross was placed on the High Altar in 1703. Walls of the presbytery are decorated with frescos by Jano Köhler. During the

Feast of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...

on 14 September, the traditional city pilgrimage is held there every year.

Way of the Cross

Parish priest Karel Dostál-Lutinov asked František Bílek to create the series of Way of the Cross for the church in 1904. Bílek created painting composition drafts for all original paintings and he himself painted 11th and 13th station of the Cross. He described he had supernatural visions and received special knowledge. When working on the work, he felt the presence of Almighty, as he himself said. He was sure that the God guided his hand. He completed his work in 1905. The entire costs of CZK 10,000 were paid by factory owner Wichterle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Prostějov Roman Catholic churches in the Czech Republic Buildings and structures in Prostějov