Sousoší Kalvárie / svatého Vavřince a Donáta Sculptural group

Welcome to the village of Sedliště. Stop for a moment, take a breath and feel the calm of this place. Right now you are standing in front of the sandstone sculpture of Calvary, which is a silent witness to history decorating the landscape along the road from the Old Castles to Bystřice. If you look at him for the first time, you might be interested in his strange form and the feeling that something is missing in this space. It's a sandstone building that rises above the surrounding terrain and ignites the spirit of the time when art was an inseparable part of every journey and every village.

Let's look together at what you see right in front of you. The whole area of the sculpture is set into the boundary space, which is built on six sandstone stages. These degrees create a natural rise to prepare the visitor to meet the sacred image. The sandstone from which the whole building is carved is a material typical of our regions, in which sculptors managed to capture both softness and monumentality. Notice how this stone, with gradual aging, was changing and how it carved its traces of ten years of wind and rain into it.

Now pay attention to the lower part of the building. Take a look at the two-stage plinth that carries the entire base. Right here is one of the most valuable details you could miss if you just walked by. There is a polychrome relief, a cut in the stone, which was originally decorated in colour. It shows an angel holding a sword and shield in his hands. Imagine how these colors shone at the time of origin and how they attracted the attention of pilgrims and locals. An angel with a sword and shield is not just a decoration, but a symbol of protection and spiritual vigil.

To understand why this work is even standing here, we have to go back more than two centuries in time. The year is seven hundred and sixty-five. At that time, the surroundings of Jičín and Turnov experienced the true bloom of baroque art. The Baroque was a style full of emotions, dynamics and desires for greatness. It was during this period that this sculpture was created in Sedlista. His author was Turnov sculptor František Fiala. He was the master of his craft, who could bring about a sense of movement and life in a hard stone. If you had the opportunity to bypass the base and look at its back, you would find a confirmation of its authorship, because František Fiala left its name here.

Now try to close your eyes for a moment and imagine what this place looked like in the year seven hundred and sixty-five. The pedestal wasn't empty. On it stood two noble statues of saints, Donat and Vavríce. They were important saints who, in people's wisdom, represented protection against storms and trials of faith. The whole area acted as a comprehensive religious image, which was meant to be a reminder of suffering and hope. Saint Donat and Saint Vavřinec, together with the angel on the plinth, formed a harmonious whole, which acted as a beacon of faith and beauty in the plains of the village of Sedliště.

Here, however, we encounter one of the greatest mysteries and sad stories of this place. As you may have noticed, the statues of St. Donat and St. Vavríce are not here today. Where did they go? History tells us that at some point after a year, seven hundred and sixty-five of these two figures were moved. But they did not disappear into oblivion, but found a new refuge in the castle in the Old Castle. It is fascinating to think that one part of the work remained here, in an open space, exposed to all elements, while the other part moved to the protected spaces of the castle where it became part of the noble collection.

This distribution of sculptures creates a special atmosphere. The emptiness over the polychrome relief of the angel makes us think about fleeting and how the perception of art changed over the centuries. What was originally one of the total intended for the public fell into pieces. However, it is this incompleteness that may be interesting for us visitors. It forces us to engage in fantasy and seek the connection between this sandstone base in Sedlista and the statues that are now resting in the castle.

If you look again at those six sandstone degrees, remember that each one represents a way up. The baroque concept was often about the symbolism of ascension to deity or higher truth. František Fiala did not only create a religious monument with its work, but put a piece of Turnov art in the landscape that has lasted centuries. It is admirable that despite the loss of the main sculptures, this foundation and the tiny, colored angel with the sword, still guarding the way from the Castles to Bystrica.

The view of this sculpture reminds us of how closely faith, art and landscape were interconnected in the eighteenth century. The sculptor was not just a craftsman, he was a storyteller in stone. And even though this story is divided into two locations today, we still feel the strength of the Baroque period and the Franz Fiala Championship.

Now, before we say good-bye, I suggest you rebuild the entire space once again. Feel the texture of sandstone under your fingers, if the surroundings permit, and look again at the details of the shield and sword in the angel's hands. Try to imagine what a meeting with those two saints would look like if they were still standing here. Perhaps this idea will inspire you to visit the castle in the Old Castle on the next occasion and find the missing parts of this sandstone puzzle.

Thank you for spending time with us at this silent memorial. We hope that you have felt a connection to the history of the region of Jicin and Turnov and that you were fascinated by the work of the Turnov master. We now invite you to further explore the surroundings and continue your journey. Let yourself be guided by the countryside and look for other hidden clues of the past that await you in this beautiful area. Have a safe trip, and I say good-bye to history.