Discover the Enchanting Baroque Festival in Litomyšl: A Journey Through Musical and Spiritual Traditions, Spotlighting the Piarists

On Sunday, August 10, the Piarist Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, a stunning Baroque building in Litomyšl, will host a special Opening Mass. During this event, the ensemble Societas literatorum will perform Missa Sancti Adalberti, composed by Vojtěch Pelikán, who grew up in Litomyšl and was a Piarist. The Mass will be celebrated by R.D. Stanislav Pribyl from Prague following the traditional Roman rite, resembling how Catholic Masses were held during the Baroque period. This promises to provide guests with a very authentic experience.

Festival visitors can also enjoy music from the Piarist Fathers on Tuesday, August 12, at a concert called m Eja, laeti concinite – Behold, sing joyfully. The ensemble Spherae sonantes , led by Ondřej Dobisik and Adam Štefunk, will perform various pieces from the music of Central European Piarists dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Before the concert, there will be an introductory lecture presented by Ondřej Dobisík.

The highlight of this year’s program will be the performance of Missa Sancti Wenceslai by Piarist composer Václav Kalous, which will take place during a service led by P. Łukasz Karpiński, a representative of the Czech-Moravian Province of the Piarist Order. This piece, sourced from the music collection of the Litomyšl parish church, will be performed by the College for Sacred Music and the Consortium musicum ensemble, conducted by Vit Aschenbrenner.

Throughout this year’s edition of the festival, we will visit the former Piarist College multiple times. This will occur either through comprehensive guided tours with art historian and restorer MgA. Mgr. Věrka Sejkorová Kašparová, or during a discussion with restorer and bookbinder MgA. Ivan Kopáčik. In this discussion, we will explore the history of the Litomyšl Piarist library and visit the locations where it was likely housed in the past. Additionally, historian prof. PhDr. Jiří Mikulc, CSc., will give a special lecture about the significance of death in the religious life of the Baroque period, set in the unique surroundings of the Purgatory Chapel of the Piarist College. Another lecture will be held by historian Mgr. Kateřina Bobková-Valentová, Ph.D., focusing on a comparison between the Piarist and Jesuit school theatre of the Baroque era.

Castle hills, archaeological findings and the Litomyšl sky

Did you know that there is a permanent exhibition called “Litomyšl – the city of culture and education”? This exhibition showcases the city’s rich history from its beginnings to the present day. Here, you can find numerous unique items, fascinating curiosities, and different programs. The exhibition is divided into nine themed sections, making it appealing to everyone, from cultural enthusiasts to families with children.

In the basement protection building, you can find unique archaeological remains of a road, wall, gate, and townhouse dating back to the 14th to 17th centuries. The subsequent exhibition illustrates the remarkable development of the castle hill, highlighting its journey from a monastery through a bishopric, to the castle complete with a new town, and the original Piarist buildings to what we see today. In the permanent exhibit, you can view items like the Liber viaticus – the travel breviary of John of Středa, the Bishop of Litomyšl, as well as the Gradual of the Literary Choir from 1563, the earliest camera in the Czech Republic, known as Flora Stasek’s daguerreotype device from 1840, the sword used by the Litomyšl executioner from 1620, and Portman’s bookbinding press;

Three hundred years of the town’s history

The Litomyšl Museum building was constructed between 1714 and 1719 as a Piarist gymnasium, designed by Giovanni Battista Alliprandi. At the same time, a covered staircase known as the fortna was built adjacent to it. This building is set into the slope of Mount Olivet. Devastating fires in 1775 and again in 1814 required significant repairs. It was remodeled in 1826 to take on its current look. For over two hundred years, the building housed primary and secondary school classes. In addition, a philosophical institute was operational from 1733 to 1754 and again from 1802 to 1849. After necessary renovations, the Municipal Museum, established in Litomyšl in 1891, moved into the historic gymnasium building. The opening ceremony took place on May 13, 1928, and was attended by many notable personalities and local residents. Since the 1990s, the museum has also included The Birthplace of Bedřich Smetana.