CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE VIRGIN MARY, CHAPEL OF THE VIRGIN MARY OF SORROWS
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Chapel of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows
Smetanova 101
798 52 Konice (District of Prostějov)
Czech Republic
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Konice stands on medieval foundations and underwent reconstruction in the 16th century1. In 1629, following the conversion to Catholicism of Jan Konický of Švábenice, the owner of the estate on which the church was built, it became a Catholic place of worship. In 1680, Jan Jiří Hofmann acquired the estate and added two side chapels: the Chapel of the Holy Trinity and the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, the latter adorned with stucco work by Baldassare Fontana. In 1699, the estate passed to the Premonstratensians who, under the guidance of Abbot Norbert Želecký of Počenice (1649-1709), promoted the Baroque reconstruction of the church, with work carried out between 1702 and 1704 (Fig. 1).
Chapel of Virgin Mary of Sorrow
The northern chapel of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Konice, dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Sorrows, features an elegant stucco decoration attributed to Baldassare Fontana (Fig. 2). At the centre of the vault, a medallion depicts God the Father in a blessing gesture, surrounded by rays of light, cherubs, and vegetal motifs (Fig. 3, 4). Around it, four oval medallions portray angels holding the Instruments of the Passion of Christ (Fig. 5, 6), such as the Veil of Veronica (Fig. 7) and the Column of the Flagellation (Fig. 8), framed by garlands and Fontana’s characteristic ribbon motif (Fig. 9).
The vault is separated from the walls by a band adorned with laurel leaves, creating a harmonious effect. On the north wall of the chapel is the tombstone of Jan Jiří Hofmann (Fig. 10), commissioned by his wife, Anna Elisabeth, before the sale of the estate to the Premonstratensians in 1699. The sculpture, depicting him in armour with an imposing stance in the Bernini style, highlights Fontana’s mastery, whose style recalls the Chapel of St Hyacinth in Kraków2.
