The Castle Chapel of the Epiphany

It was Jan Josef, the count of Šternberk who had the Castle Chapel of the Epiphany built between 1699 and 1711. The construction is ascribed to Kryštof Dientzenhofer, although some sources mention Jan Blažej Santini. The chapel is regarded as a highly valuable baroque construction. Its complicated ground plan of concave-convex design has a shape of a slightly elongated octagon. The chapel is valued not only for its architectonic qualities, but also for its unique, compact and style integrated interior which has not gone through any major changes ever since the construction was completed. The fresco decoration in the chapel was realised by Jan Jakub Steinfels of Steinfels. It depicts biblical tales which are thematically related to the prophecy of the birth of Jesus. The vault shows Moses and Old Testament prophets, and there are sibyls in the panaches and lunettes above the windows. In the cupola of the presbytery World’s Creation is depicted, in the cupola above the oratory it is God the Father among Christ’s forebears. The frescoes on the walls show the Arrival of the Magi and Herod among the Pharisees. Among the paintings in the chapel Petr Brandl’s masterpiece “Adoration of the Magi” (1727) placed in the main altar stands out (in 2006 it was clasified as a painting of great cultural value). The painting is accompanied by above life-size statues of Virgin Mary’s parents St. Joachim and St. Anna from F. J. Pacák (M.B. Braun’s disciple), who is also the author of other statues on the main altar. Brandl is also the author of a smaller painting of St. Blažej (about 1713) placed on the patronal altar. Between the stucco statues of Czech saints on the side altars, there is a painting of the Glorification of John of Nepomuk (1724) by the Italian painter C. Carlone and a painting of Madonna passing the rosary to St. Dominic (1755) by a Hradec Králové painter O. Maywald. The main altar also includes a panel painting of Madonna with Baby Jesus by an unknown painter from the 16th century. Wooden benches, the pulpit with relief of Moses on the ambo and the symbol of God’s eye, the minor altar of the Baby Jesus and lower part of the main altar come from K. Devoty’s woodcarver’s plant. For its remarkable architectonic qualities, the Castle Chapel of the Epiphany was designated a listed building in 1996.