In November 2017, the overall restoration of the altar of Fourteen Holy Helpers in the Church of Holy Mary Assumption in Kroměříž was completed. This uniquely preserved wooden carved artwork represents the Baroque sculptural work from the late 17th and early 18th century. Most similar artworks in Moravia were replaced by stucco altars during the following decades.
Kroměříž, kostel Nanebevzetí P. Marie, retabulum bočního oltáře před restaurováním
The wooden Baroque retable of the side altar of Fourteen Holy Helpers consists of a huge carved frame with ribbon ornaments, acanthus leaves and volute consoles, bearing fourteen half-figures of the saints. The centerpiece of the extension contains the picture of Our Lady of the Snows, worshipped, together with the Fourteen Holy Helpers, as a guardian against plague. Therefore, the extension was probably made at the time of the plague that hit Moravia in 1713–1715.
The restoration of the altar started in 2013 with three figures – St. Erasmus, St. Eustace and St. Blažej. In 2014, the restoration of St. Vitus, St. Catherine and St. Florian followed. The following stage focused on bearing structures and the foundation of the altar with ornamental decorations; due to high financial costs, the restoration took two years. The works were finished by the restoration of the remaining eight statues.
The restoration works were conducted by sculptor and restorer Kateřina Čiháková Myšková, who stripped the altar from all additional layers of paint between 2013 and 2017. During the restoration, the oldest intact polychrome layer was revealed and renewed. After 5 years of restoration, this unique heritage item returned to the Church of Holy Mary Assumption in Kroměříž.
Nominated for the Zlínský Region by the regional center of the National Heritage Institute in Kroměříž
Sculptor and restorer Kateřina Čiháková Myšková was nominated for the National Heritage Institute Prize, category: Rescue of a Heritage Site.
