2024-03-16 19:27:18
The St. Vitus treasure, which represents one of the largest temple collections in Europe, is being exhibited abroad for the first time, specifically in Dresden. The show, unique in its historical and cultural significance, was jointly opened by Czech President Petr Pavel and Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer this Friday in the Saxon metropolis.
The exhibition in the Lipsiusbau Art Hall called Fragments of Memory will be open to visitors from Saturday until September 8. It is organized by the State Art Collections of Dresden.
“The St. Vitus temple treasure is abroad for the first time. And for the first time Czech visitors can see it in such a composition,” said Petr Pavel at the opening. The treasure is displayed in dialogue with the work of contemporary artists – the Englishman Edmund de Waal, the Czech photographer Josef Koudelka and the German Julian Rosefeldt.
Curator Jiří Fajt draws attention to the connection of the historic cathedral treasure with contemporary works. “The exhibition connects significant memory leaps of our civilization,” states the former director of the National Gallery in Prague. While the cathedral treasure, according to Fajt, is based on the Christian faith and the history of salvation, the works of de Waal, Koudelka and Rosefeldt bring a contemporary perspective.
From Koudelka, who became famous for his pictures of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Prague, there are large-format photographs of a divided Jerusalem. Rosefeldt, on the other hand, shows the devastating influence of human behavior with his film. According to the organizers, the monumental cabinet objects by de Waal are the opposite of the temple treasure.
The St. Vitus treasure was regularly expanded by the Přemyslov dynasty, thanks to the efforts of the emperor and Czech king Charles IV. more than doubled.
Various types of reliquaries can be seen in Dresden, as well as important works of goldsmith’s art or paintings and sculptures. An example is the reliquary bust of Saint Adalbert donated by Vladislav Jagiellon, the so-called Gnostic plenum, which is also known as the reliquary of the Holy Cross.