Czech Gothic architecture
The Czech nobility accepted the culture of knights, so they listened to the German Minnesingers, participated in tournaments, got their coat of arms and built castles of stone.
In the 1230s the first Early Gothic buildings were built in the "transitional" style brought to Bohemia and Moravia by the Order of Cistercians.
Other important Early Gothic building is the Osek Monastery (Cistercians) in Bohemia with its unique Chapter hall.
The first Gothic building in Moravia was the Monastery of Cistercian nuns Porta Coeli in Předklášteří u Tišnova near Brno founded by Constance of Hungary, Queen of Bohemia in 1233 and concentrated in 1239.
[5] There are the oldest traceries of the rose windows in the Czech lands and the very fancy portal built in the style of the French cathedrals was unique in Central Europe of that time.
The Church of Christ the Saviour built in 1261–1265 as the royal mausoleum of Přemyslid dynasty by King Ottokar II of Bohemia was directly influenced by the French Gothic architecture.
They also built the Zvíkov Castle with a central court surrounded by arcades in two levels inspired by the cloister – typical element of the monastic architecture.
In the Cistercian Sedlec Abbey near Kutná Hora, the first church in the style of French Gothic cathedrals in the Czech lands was built around 1300.
It is called the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist and although it was rebuilt in the 18th century in the Baroque Gothic style its presbytery, main nave and transept didn't lose its original appearance.
It is considered to be one of the first High Gothic buildings in the Czech Republic[9] and it was also inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In this time the house was decorated with great statues and paintings and was probably used as a royal residence instead of the Prague Castle which was uninhabitable after the fire in 1303.
[13] The heyday of the High Gothic art in the Czech lands came with John's son Charles IV.
Its walls are decorated with precious stones and with 130 pictures of saints painted by Theodoric of Prague, its golden ceiling resembles the sky with stars, sun and moon.
Typical examples of International Gothic architecture in the Kingdom of Bohemia are the south-Bohemian churches of St Giles in Třeboň (Czech: Kostel sv.
[19] The bad situation of the Czech art caused by wars and political instability was improved after 1471 when a Catholic Polish prince Vladislaus Jagiellon (grandson of Bohemian Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg granddaughter of Charles IV) became the new king of Bohemia and especially after 1485 when religious freedom was enacted (for Catholics and Hussites) and so the religious wars finally ended.
Bohemia was not the only country which did not accept the Renaissance art very early and tried to develop the older Gothic style into new forms – it was also the case of Austria, Bavaria, Saxony[20] or England (see Tudor architecture).
The most important architect of the Czech Late Gothic style was Benedikt Rejt who worked for the King Vladislaus.
Rejt's masterpiece is the Vladislav Hall in the Old Royal Palace of Prague Castle which was completed in 1502, and was at its time the largest secular vaulted space (without inner supporting columns) at least in Central Europe.
Together with Hans Spiess Benedikt Rejt built the Royal Oratory in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle after 1490.
The interesting vault of this oratory has naturalistically executed dry cut branches, tied with strong ropes at the top of arches, instead of usual ribs.
In Brno Austrian architect Anton Pilgram was active where he designed the very interesting portal of the Old Town Hall.
