1. Mural Paintings – Frescoes
SITE DECOR
Mural Paintings – Frescoes
Frescoes of the Cistercian monastery in Cieplice were made between 1687 and 1689, funded by the abbot Bernard Rosa. The authors of these frescoes were a craftsman from Vrchlabí, Czechia, who created the main scenes, and his son alongside Sigismund Leistritz from Schömberg (now Chełmsko Śląskie) who made the ornamental parts.
After the secularization of Church property in Silesia (1810), the empty monastery was bought by the count Leopold Gothard Schaffgotsch where he organized the Major Library, one the largest book collections in this part of Europe.
The frescoes were painted over possibly in the years from 1816 to 1833 during the renovation and adaptation of the building to suit the purpose of becoming a library. In 2011-2012, the frescoes were revealed during the renovation of this particular section of the building which was adapted for museum purposes.
The life of Saint Bernard de Clairvaux is the main iconography of the excavated murals approximating at around 30 scenes. Both the beginning and end of St. Bernard’s life can be seen at the museum, but the middle part is still covered by a layer of plaster at the Piarist Collegium.
Saint Bernard de Clairvaux
Saint Bernard (1090-1153) was an important figure in both the religious and the political sphere of 12th century Europe. His opinions were looked upon by Popes and prominent rulers of the time. He was a religious philosopher, a Doctor of the Church, and a preacher.
In 1115, he founded a Cistercian abbey in Clairvaux to later establish many other monasteries across Europe. Saint Bernard was also the creator of the doctrine of the Templar Order. It was he who convinced the knights of Germany and France to embark on the Second Crusade. In 1174, Bernard was canonized by Pope Alexander III giving him the title of a Saint.