Moravian Gallery, Brno, Czech Republic

The former Governor's Palace in Brno offers a permanent exhibition of art from the gothic period to the 19th century which includes the Drawing and Graphic Cabinet and spaces for temporary exhibitions. The Governor’s Palace also contains a baroque hall with a capacity of 150 seats which is used for a variety of events and exhibitions.

The permanent exhibition presents the most precious works of European art in the Moravian Gallery collections from the 14th to the 19th centuries, complemented by items on loan from religious institutions and other art collections. The individual sections consist of medieval art, baroque works by Moravian and Austrian painters and sculptors, a collection of Italian, Flemish and Dutch art recently enhanced by major new acquisitions, and figurative and landscape art of the 19th century.

References:

Brno Tourism

Museums in Czech Republic

User Reviews

Ch Ra (2 years ago)
Nice and clean place

jan subrt (3 years ago)
Awesome place - am a regular there. Great service excellent location and unique homemade cuisine (incl. Vegan).

Michal Sadílek (3 years ago)
Very nice and perfect music from group CIMBALIKA

Anna Gordeeva (3 years ago)
Great place in the city centre, not only the museum, but also a caffe with the possibility to sit in the yard

Daniel Hall (3 years ago)
This gallery is free for the permanent exhibitions. There is a really impressive collection of Flemish paintings here, which I enjoyed a lot (and I am not a big art lover). There could be a bit more English language description, and some of it is very poorly written. One major problem; security wanted to stop my wife from bringing hiking sticks in (she has a serious knee injury). On top of that, they were very sarcastic with her (she speaks fluent Czech). This is a problem, and needs to be addressed.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Martin M. Miles

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Étienne

The Abbey of Saint-Etienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes ('Men"s Abbey'), is a former monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne). It is considered, along with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ('Ladies" Abbey'), to be one of the most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Like all the major abbeys in Normandy, it was Benedictine.

Lanfranc, before being an Archbishop of Canterbury, was abbot of Saint-Etienne. Built in Caen stone during the 11th century, the two semi-completed churches stood for many decades in competition. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault, used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of the Gothic architecture. The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet, complete with rosette windows and flying buttresses. Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadipartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary.

The two monasteries were finally donated by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders, as penalty for their marriage against the Pope"s ruling. William was buried here; Matilda was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. Unfortunately William"s original tombstone of black marble, the same kind as Matilda"s in the Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed by the Calvinist iconoclasts in the 16th century and his bones scattered.

As a consequence of the Wars of Religion, the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings in 1944, inhabitants of Caen found refuge in the church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings).

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Moravian Gallery

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Étienne

Looks like you are a history fan!