The History of St. Matthew´s Church in Prague-Dejvice

The current publication by author Vojtěch Pokorný takes as its subject not only the history of the oldest Christian sacred building in the Prague neighbourhood of Dejvice, but equally the past of the locality itself, starting from its first known settlement in late Neolithic times up to the present. Using a wide range of literature and sources, the author presents a truthful account of the oft-mythicised tales of the earliest traces of human presence in Upper Šárka and the founding of the church consecrated to St. Matthew, and in chronological succession relates the events transpiring there across the following centuries. Research into archival materials and other sources provided the basis for an imposing text that casts light on a history now nearly forgotten. The author unfolds previously neglected topics and opens the curtain for new awareness of our ancestors against the large-scale history of the Czech lands. Though undoubtedly a scholarly text, the book is nonetheless conceived as readable even for the wider public. Among other findings, the reader learns of the origins and gradual expansion of the famous St. Matthew's Fair - until only the recent past, associated with St. Matthew's Church itself. No less intriguing themes addressed are the church's famous gingerbread Nativity scene, or the depictions of the church by various artists. The text was reviewed by four professional historians, each addressing the relevant epoch of scholarly expertise - prehistory, medieval times, the Baroque era, and modernity. The publication is illustrated with a wealth of archival and contemporary photographs, historic engravings and maps, all capturing and enlivening the sacred structure and site that is its central theme Kniha autora Vojtěcha Pokorného pojednává nejen o dějinách nejstarší křesťanské svatyně v pražských Dejvicích, ale i o minulosti lokality samotné, počínaje prvním osídlením v pozdní době kamenné až po současnost. Autor uvádí pomocí bohatého poznámkového aparátu na pravou míru mýty o nejstarších stopách lidské činnosti na Horní Šárce a o vzniku kostelíka sv. Matěje a navazuje v chronologickém sledu líčením zdejších událostí v následujících staletích.Výzkum dobových archiválií a dalších pramenů dal vzniknout monolitnímu textu, který osvětluje dnes již téměř zapomenutou historii. Autor předkládá doposud nezpracované téma a otevírá nová poznání o našich předcích na pozadí velkých dějin českých zemí.

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