The Sorrowful Rosary, Tail 2. (EN)

The statue of Christ on the Mount of Olives, the statue of Christ´s Suffering and the statues Ecce homo and Carrying the Cross nowadays form the incomplete baroque series the Sorrowful Rosary, which was apparently created by the sculptor Jan Michael Scherhauf in the mid-18th century. The statues were eventually located in the church of St Michal in Olomouc, where they stand to this day. Due to their artistic and historical value the statues are included on the Central register of Cultural Monuments – the series is part of the cultural monument of the former complex of the Dominican Monastery in Olomouc, which is located on Žerotínovo square. 

The set of four statues provides a picture of one of the last events in the life of Jesus Christ – important moments from the Passion of Christ. 

The statues were originally intended for another location. Along with the so-called Calvary (the crucified body of Christ on the cross and the statues of St. John the Evangelist and the Virgin Mary) originally took their positions in the open space below the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which stood in Nová Ulice in Olomouc. A natural spring rose beneath the chapel. The so-called Well of the Cross was amended in the form of a chapel, which was commissioned by Bartoloměj Heilig of Nemilany, who was an Olomouc councillor from 1618. In his Description of the Royal Capital City of Olomouc of 1746 Florián Josef Loucký writes: “Below the Chapel of the Holy Cross, towards the town, is the so-called Well of the Cross, where under an arched roof built in the form of a chapel, from the hillside, through a pipe, runs water which is the best in the whole region”. 

 The sculptural series of the Sorrowful Rosary was commissioned by the Mayor of Olomouc, Jan Kryštof Dimbter. A paper from 21st March 1735 is witness to his intention to have four “columns” built on the path to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It is not known in which year Dimbter´s plans were actually realised. In his writings of 1746 Syndic Loucký literally quotes: “From here (the Chapel of the Holy Cross) to the Church of the Helpful Virgin Mary stand five decorative stone columns with bas-relief depictions of the suffering of Christ, which the Mayor of Olomouc, Kryštof Dimbter, had restored in the year 1744”. In the comments of J.J. of Walchenheim we find that Josef Kryštof Dimbter had the series of sculptures built on the basis of the last wishes of his wife Anna.

The statues of the Sorrowful Rosary were originally placed at intervals along the path from the Church of the Helpful Virgin Mary to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, beneath which the spring rises. They stood by the old Imperial road to Brno. The sculptural works, set in the landscape with a natural spring, which rises from a well built in the form of a chapel, was very impressive and inspired other creators of artistic works. 

The guide for the 1st episode of the documentary film is the spiritual custodian of the parish of St Michael. He speaks of the history of the sculptural series and introduces viewers to other artistic works for which the Sorrowful Rosary series was an inspiration…

Text prepared by Mgr. Iva Orálková – specialist guarantor of the PamátkyDnes project.