Photo: Archive of UPCE
Restorers from the University of Pardubice, along with colleagues from Germany, have started to examine a unique cycle of paintings in the Emmaus Monastery in Prague, dating to the reign of Emperor Charles IV. During the next three years, they will determine the state of the frescoes, and only then will they start to restore them.
The Emmaus Monastery in Prague is known for its unmistakable white towers with gilded spires from the 1960s, which replaced the original ones, destroyed in February 1945 in an accidental air raid by the Allies.
The former Benedictine monastery is also known for a unique cycle of Gothic wall paintings, made during the reign of Emperor Charles IV, that is between the 1460s and the 1470s.
The entire cycle originally had 33 paintings, but only 26 have been preserved to this day. However, the series is still remarkable for its extent and high artistic quality.
The paintings were mostly damaged in the bombing raid, but they were also affected by leakage into the building and inexpert restoration carried out in the 1950s.
See the rest here.
Author: Ruth Fraňková