Zprávy památkové péče 2018, 78(4):283-299 | DOI: 10.56112/zpp.2018.4.02

The pilgrimage site of Klokoty near Tábor and heritage care

Martin Gaži, Roman Lavička

NPÚ, ÚOP v Českých Budějovicích

In Klokoty, on a hill west of the historical center of the city of Tábor, stands one of Bohemia's most impressive Marian pilgrimage sites. This heritage aggregate, built to its present appearance as part of an extensive Baroque reconstruction from 1700 to 1714, was recently listed as a national cultural heritage property. At the same time, interest in the site is also increasing from the Roman Catholic Church for its possible use for broader pastoral activities. The study focuses on the procedures that heritage care applied during repairs to this specific heritage site as part of several stages of constructional stabilization and restoration works during the 20th century, especially focusing on the years 1998-2017. The study recalls the selected procedures (including the need to rectify certain inappropriately selected previous technologies) and summarizes new discoveries and findings. It points out the fundamental necessity to apply multidisciplinary solutions to certain problems, such as the constructional link between the roof structure and the ceiling decoration, the preservation of certain secondary modifications, and the concept of restoring paintings within the context of preserved graphic preparatory works and author analogies. The positions of heritage care here necessarily oscillate between an awareness of its wide range of cultural-historical values, and the challenges of contemporary use which will ensure constant attention and regular maintenance to the property in the future. Moreover, these positions are on the edge between attempts to preserve a broad set of historical references and the repeated presentation of the high-quality layers of surface treatments that were made less clear during later utilitarian renovations. The text also contemplates the possibilities of possible extensions of the site while not rejecting the possibilities of developing its social utilization in forms which correspond to the needs of the 21st century.

Keywords: Klokoty near Tábor, pilgrimage site, heritage care

Published: December 1, 2018  Show citation