Zprávy památkové péče 2018, 78(3):208-216 | DOI: 10.56112/zpp.2018.3.04

Icons on the front of the Orthodox Church of St. Olga in Františkovy Lázně

Anežka Mikulcová

NPÚ, GnŘ

The Orthodox Church of St. Olga in Františkovy Lázně was built on the design of Gustav Wiedermann in 1887-1889. It is the oldest Orthodox church in the Czech Republic. Despite its importance in the field of Czech Orthodox architecture and the period Czech-Russian cultural environment, the church has thus far received little attention. Only the paintings themselves on the facade completely escaped the interest of the professional public. This article aimed to fill this research gap and provide a basis for further research.
The icons depict Christ Pantocrator in the tympanum of the facade and along the sides of St. Olga and St. Vladimir. Their placement and, in part, the artistic technique followed the traditions of Western European art. The figures of St. Olga and St. Vladimir were not chosen at random but demonstrate a parallel between the Christianization of Russia in the 10th century and the establishment of the first Orthodox temple in the Czech lands. The artwork that served as template for the icons of the two saints was determined to have been executed relatively shortly before the creation of the paintings - they are the paintings on the iconostasis in the Church of St. Vladimir in Kiev, created by the Russian painter of historical and religious themes Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (1848-1926).
The icons are not signed, so they could have been created either in Bohemia or in Russia, where a range of other icons and liturgical objects originated and were donated by the Russian spa clientele and congregation of St. Olga. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, many workshops in Russia focused on the reproduction of important religious paintings. Vasnetsov's Kiev paintings were undoubtedly among them, evidenced by reduced copies of them being mass produced by the Moscow company Žako and Bonaker. It is even more probable that the Czech icons originated from the Moscow company of N. M. Postnikov. Other Františkovy Lázně icons were also brought from this company and marked by the company emblem.
The paintings of St. Olga and St. Vladimir subsequently served as a pattern for the icons on the front of the church of St. Vladimir in Mariánské Lázně, also built on the project of G. Wiedermann. The paintings in Františkovy Lázně respond to the period interest in St. Olga that peaked at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This interest followed the period trend in Russian religious painting and was based on the interconnection of Orthodox and Roman Catholic visual culture. The paintings demonstrate the phenomenon of artistic import associated with the donations of the spa guests.

Keywords: Orthodox art, Church of St. Olga, Františkovy Lázně, icons, Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov, Kiev

Published: September 1, 2018  Show citation