St John Nepomuk, Zdar

 Giovanni Santini keeps appearing in any survey of Czech Baroque churches.Strange Gothic inspired Baroque hybrids or something unique? Was he Italian ? He came from an Italian immigrant family of masons, but was born in Prague in1667  and died there in 1723. Sometimes he is known as Jan Blazel Santini Aichel. His training included time in Italy, England, and the Netherlands. His work shows the influence of Fischer von Erlach and Borromini. His career really took off from 1700  with a dozen projects  still ongoing at his death. He seems to have been one of the more imaginative architects of his time with some 40 patrons. His best patrons were monasteries.

In 1719-22 he created a pilgrimage chapel attached to the Cistercian abbey of Zdar in honour of St J ohn Nepomuk, whose tongue had recently been mysteriously rediscovered undecayed. Remember he had been martyred in the 14th century because of his refusal to releal the secrets of the confessional. The Abbot of Zdar was one of Santini's best clients. Other projects included renovation of the Abbey buildings moification of its church and several bizarre shaped buildings determined by particular symbolism - for example a chapel to the Virgin at Obyctov with a plan like a tortoise  , which symbolised constancy! 

The new chapel was to be situated on a grassy mound {Green Hill or Zelena Gora) with some trees  It was to  be a focal point. At first sight it seems like a Gothic tent with five star shaped wings and  five low oval dormered chapels - puzzling. It's hard to describe.Take a look at the little video above. 

The interior is very white and maybe shows the influence of Borromini's St Ivo in Rome. The emphasis on five comes from the traditional five stars of St John Nepomuk's halo (his five virtues) as he was thrown into the river Moldau.   The interior is strongly vertical rising to ribbed vaults with stucco decoration, and up into the central mystical heights of the cupola culminated by a tongue. . This central space opens out into five chapels, one with the high altar. Some original furnishings have survived from Santini's time : the high altar depicts the celebration of St John Nepomuk into heaven and the four side altars the four evangelists. I have yet to experience this church in person but, from all I have read and illustrations I have seen, this is a true Baroque space: restless, full of distractions and with plenty of light both from the dormer windows above the side chapels and the lancet windows in the sides of the five wings. 

High altar

There was a major fire in 1784 which damaged the roof and facade. These were repaired 1792-1802.

There are star shaped cloisters containing five chapels forming a circle around the chapel which have been considerably altered since the 18th century. 

St John Nepomuk Zdar is now a World Heritage site and I hope this post encourages you to visit it.

Photos are taken from Wikipedia article about the church.

Santini's original plan