Kaple Panny Marie Opatrovnice

The Neo-Romanesque Chapel of Our Lady of Opatrovnice (also known as the Virgin Mary of the Protector or Madonna of the Protector) was built by architect Franz Kottas in 1860 on the premises of the former Olomouc Castle, on the corner of Dómská Street and Wenceslas Square. Behind the decorative grille there is a small space with an altar and a plaster copy of the valuable 15th century Gothic relief of the Virgin Mary of the Guardian. The original relief is located in the choir chapel of St. Wenceslas Cathedral. the relief depicts the figure of the Virgin Mary with her child, surrounded by two angels at the top, and at the bottom by a crowd of supplicants hiding under her cloak. On the left are supplicants from the spiritual state, on the right the secular state. The relief is next to the sculpture of the Mount of Olives from the Church of St. Moritz one of the most valuable monuments of Gothic sculpture in Olomouc.

Interesting places on Wenceslas Square. Not only these chapels but also the surrounding buildings have their history.

On the way to the Cathedral of St. Wenceslas, at the corner of Dome and Wenceslas Square, I met a tiny chapel of the Virgin Mary Opatrovnice. It is executed in the neo-Romanesque style by the architect Franz Cottas. As an elderly Czech told me, who speaks fluent Russian, this chapel was built on the site of an older house in 1860. A characteristic feature of the chapel is the three transplanted Gothic decor elements: 1. Relief of the defender of the Virgin Mary, dated 1483 year. Initially, the relief was in the tower of the Church of the Virgin Mary in the Barrens. But, in 1839, during the restoration work in Olomouc, the church was dismantled. 2 and 3. Statues of Saints Peter and Paul. In the second half of the 15th century, they were placed in the niches of the church of St. Peter on Przedradi. However, and it was forgiven by the sad fate - in 1792 it was demolished. These elements were in a tiny chapel, named after the Virgin of Opatrovnitsa. Today in the chapel there are copies of these statues, and the originals adorn the dome of St. Wenceslas.