Sensational Egyptian imagery in a Catholic church

A photo of the Egyptian inspired decor

Sensational Egyptian imagery in a Catholic church

There is a Roman Catholic church in Prague which has Egyptian imagery on its walls. Since Catholicism tried to get rid of many pagan rituals, why would they represent Mary and Joseph as Egyptian gods?

The building

It all started with wealthy benefactor Countess Gabriela Sweerts-Šporková. She donated considerable funds to establish a convent for Benedictine nuns in Prague1 2. The Order of the Beroun Benedictines built a monastery in 18883 4 in the Smichov suburb5. The Order had been living in the Emmaus monastery across the river after escaping persecution in Bismarck’s Prussia6 7.

A photo of the decorative walls
Decorative walls

They consecrated the monastery to the Archangel Gabriel, in memory of their benefactor8. The church has two aisles; the main one is open to the wooden trusses reminiscent of old Christian basilicas9. The 43m high tower is impressive10 11, especially when seen from the inside. Cardinal Schönborn consecrated the church in 189112 13.

The art movement

The Beroun monks were well-known for excellence in many fields14. They used to celebrate festive liturgies with Gregorian chants, they were explorers and they were masters of graphic art15. They employed the sculptor and painter Peter Deziderius Lenz to decorate this church16 17.

A picture of King Wenceslas in Egyptian imagery
King Wenceslas in Egyptian imagery

Greek and Egyptian history, Byzantine and early Christian art all inspired Lenz18 19.

Egyptian legends about Osiris, Isis and Horus mirror Roman Catholic stories20:

  • Virgin conception
  • Divine birth
  • Struggles in the wilderness
  • Resurrection from death to eternal life

These are all key parts of both mythologies, so it’s easy to see the similarity21. If you know these stories, you can see how easy it is to mirror the two22:

  • Egyptians would call Isis, the mother figure, as ‘mr’ Isis. The letters ‘m’ and ‘r’ here mean ‘beloved’ and would have been pronounced as ‘mer’ or ‘Mary’.
  • Horus, son of Isis, who conceived after her husband, Osiris, died.

This is part of where the imagery of a Black Madonna surfaces. There is a Black Madonna in Prague near the Old Town Square.

This explains the imagery used by Lenz in the church.

A photo of the Egyptian inspired decor
Egyptian inspired decor

The church

The imagery in the building is all based on Lenz’s influences23. When I walked in, the immediate sense of Egyptain imagery was obvious, as the photos here show.

Behind the altar, the Madonna holds a baby Jesus on her lap in front of an indigo background speckled with stars. There are other paintings of St Wenceslas, and other Czech saints as well. The decor, intricate, detailed and eye-catching, extends all along the walls up to the trusses, drawing the eye to the frescos. It is one of the most-decorated churches I’ve seen in Bohemia.

A photo of the murals above the organ
The murals above the organ

Cardinal Schönborn ordered some of the artwork destroyed. The nuns in the monastery were wise enough to hide them instead24.

References

  1. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  2. St. Gabriel’s convent in Petrin Hill, Prague; Prague City Line; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  3. St. Gabriel’s convent in Petrin Hill, Prague; Prague City Line; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  4. St. Gabriel; Farnostsmichov.cz; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  5. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  6. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  7. St. Gabriel; Farnostsmichov.cz; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  8. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  9. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  10. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  11. St. Gabriel; Farnostsmichov.cz; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  12. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  13. St. Gabriel’s convent in Petrin Hill, Prague; Prague City Line; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  14. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  15. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  16. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  17. St. Gabriel; Farnostsmichov.cz; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  18. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  19. St. Gabriel; Farnostsmichov.cz; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  20. ISIS: The virgin mother of ‘god’; Isis: The divine female; Moustafa Gadalla[↩]
  21. ISIS: The virgin mother of ‘god’; Isis: The divine female; Moustafa Gadalla[↩]
  22. ISIS: The virgin mother of ‘god’; Isis: The divine female; Moustafa Gadalla[↩]
  23. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
  24. Church of St Gabriel; Prague.eu; (Retrieved 2021-03-24) [↩]
Remember: links were correct at time of publication.

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