"We were already like you. And you, too, will be like us."
(Inscription on the gravestone)
When you travel around a foreign country or countries on a comfortable tourist bus, you don't have to write about a light breeze blowing pleasantly at you at a good speed, because the air conditioner works in its cabin. You can also not write about the views along the roads, although their cleanliness and well-groomed cannot but catch the eye, as well as noise fences and lattice fences along the fields and woodlands. We also have all this, for example, on the highway that passes through my Penza to Moscow, and this cannot but rejoice, as well as the sight of workers collecting garbage and cutting grass on the sidelines. However, as soon as you turn off this highway, let's say, towards my summer cottage village 25 kilometers from Penza, you can see large-scale heaps of garbage from the bus window right next to the highway and in the line of sight from the bus window. That is, we have already grown to such a level of European culture that we do not have garbage along major highways. But they have not yet grown to the point that he is not to the right and left of them. It is not there, we still have it. However, this should not be perceived as a reason for frustration, but rather as a goal to which one should strive.
Continuing the topic "with them", you can write about a lot more, but I would like to make a reservation right away that large and multifaceted articles will need what? That's right - time! In the meantime, I would like to write that … well, let's just say - it itself asks for hands. And what itself asks for in hand? Of course, the information that is in the museum, or somewhere else, is given to you in the form of a printout in Russian, and is even allowed inside for free. Yes, yes, "there", with a card of the Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation (not to mention the crusts of the International Federation of Journalists), practically all museums are admitted either completely free of charge, or they are given a very large discount. Since this is the European Union, then why they let it in with a document of an international organization is understandable. But why does the card of a journalist of the Russian Federation act there in the same way? Probably, this is also a certain culture or a good principle - "any journalist is better than no journalist." But at our place in whatever museum you show it, you will not be allowed anywhere for free. Although there are positive shifts. For example, in Moscow, in the English Compound Museum, my daughter and I were, for the first time, probably admitted free of charge. A trifle, of course, but nice. You look, and our journalists - members of the Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation, will be admitted in the same way as in Dresden (and the Louvre) they are admitted to museums and art galleries - that is, easily. Well, and it will be beneficial to everyone and everyone, right? And it's not about the money at all. The very principle of encouraging the press is important.
This building is a Capuchin monastery. It is located within walking distance from the Vegetable Market Square in the very center of Brno.
So in this case, finding myself in the Czech city of Brno near the monastery of the order of the Capuchin brothers, I first asked if it was possible to go into their script (that is, an underground crypt with the mummified dead) "just like that" and if possible, that is do they have information materials in Russian? It turned out that it is possible, there are materials and they will immediately take a photocopy of them. Nice service, isn't it? Well, and the second reason why the material is about what is in this very script … this is the material "The Heads of the Dead Tell …" (https://topwar.ru/122664-golovy-mertvyh-rasskazyvayut.html). It dealt with mummies, turtles and severed heads, and this topic aroused great interest. And if so, why not continue it with the most “fresh material”? Only now, not about mummies created by human hands, but about corpses mummified by nature itself!
The entrance to the script is to the left of the building and is a narrow passage between two walls. There is no need to be afraid to enter it. At the end there will be a cozy courtyard, and there is already an entrance with a cash desk and a descent into the underground.
Well, and you need to start with the fact that the goal, in general, of any religion is the salvation of the soul after death. And there have always been people who thought it was more difficult to find salvation in a sinful world than in some desert. People - they are social creatures, they all want the same thing as others. Including salvation. One will be saved, and we? This is how brotherhoods of like-minded people appear, monastic communities are formed and monasteries are created. Likewise, the Capuchin monastic order arose. It was a peasant society owned by the Roman Catholic Church, inspired by the life of the Italian Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). It arose in Umbria already in the 16th century in Italy and from there it spread throughout the world. They came to the Czech lands in 1599 and founded their first monastery in Prague on Hradcany. They have been operating in Brno since 1604. They built their monastery with the Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross in the Flemish-Belgian architectural style - typical for the Capuchin order - thanks to numerous donations. True, in the second half of the 18th century, they were rebuilt in the Baroque style in accordance with fashion (and the monks did not shy away from fashion!). And to be honest, there is nothing interesting in this building either inside or outside, especially against the background of neighboring buildings adorning Brno, but their Capuchin tomb in the underground is interesting! Unique, one might say, although dungeons with skulls and bones are found elsewhere.
Here it is, the coffin of Baron Trenk!
The Latin inscription above the entrance to the chapel "Tu fili ego eris" means "You I was, you will be me" or something like that - that's how to translate. One of the options for reminding us of the frailty of our existence in this world.
And here is himself, lying in it, Baron Trenk. It is believed that in the fortress his head was chopped off and it is actually just attached to the body.
Buried in it the Capuchin brothers and … the benefactors of the order, who provided him with significant material support - that's even how. And thanks to the combination of a special ventilation system and the geological composition of the rock at the base of the church, the bodies of the dead in this dungeon were naturally mummified!
This is how he was during his lifetime. Painting by an unknown artist from the Bavarian Army Museum.
There were sixty holes in the walls of the tomb, connected to several chimneys, which were led out to the roof of the church and through which smoke was also emitted. It was thanks to the circulation of air that the bodies of the deceased gradually dried up, and dampness never started in the dungeon.
Baron … close-up!
True, at the end of the 18th century, most of the vents were walled up. And at the end of 1784, this method of burial was completely prohibited by the decree of the emperor due to the danger of the spread of epidemics. Well, in total, 205 people were buried in the basements of the Capuchin monastery, of which 153 were monks. The remains of 41 of them have survived to this day and are exhibited here. Moreover, their tomb was open for viewing a long time ago, back in 1925. Well, now let's take a look at some of the exhibits there. By golly, they deserve it.
Engraving depicting the desperate Baron Trenk.
The first hall that a tourist enters into, who descends into the underground, is the chapel, which originally served as a winter choir. Here, right above us, is the choir, and here the Capuchin brothers still gather for evening prayer. In the first half of the 70s of the twentieth century, the reliquary of St. Clementiana was moved here from the church. In honor of this occasion, a brick mense was probably built, the front of which is decorated with a baroque stucco relief with a Capuchin sign in the middle.
And this is one of the pandurs. Pandurs were in Austria, Hungary, Albania, the Czech Republic … in Russia and they all had their own, sometimes very, very picturesque uniforms.
Reliquary of St. The Clementians was created in 1762 and contains the skeletal remains of a martyr who lived during early Christianity. Her body is dressed in a silk baroque dress, and in some places there are holes through which you can see the remains of the saint. The relics of the martyr were donated to the Capuchins in 1754 … by the chimney sweep Jiri Barnabash Orelli (buried here in the tomb). Here, on the walls of the altar, samples of funeral liturgical clothes are exhibited, and a Capuchin outfit hangs on the right wall.
Špilberk Fortress, the inner building that housed Baron Trenk.
Here are also the remains of another famous and even very famous person who is directly related to the topic of the "Military Review". This man is Baron Franz (or as the Czechs call him František) von der Trenck (1711-1749), who, due to his harsh, unpredictable and ambitious character, was often called "Trenk the Devil". He went to war at the age of 17, and served in the Russian army to Anna Ioanovna, but did not get along with discipline. Then, already in Austria, he commanded a unit of five thousand pandurs (a kind of infantry from peasants armed with a gun, sometimes pistols and either a saber or a scimitar), which, having land holdings, he himself recruited and equipped, which was known for its cruelty. According to one version, while in the service of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, where he and his pandurs caused fear even in the imperial court in Vienna, and where he managed to make a large number of enemies, Trenk found the favor of the empress herself. Moreover, it seems that he even entered into a love affair with her. However, if you are already sleeping with a crowned lady, then if you please keep your mouth shut. And Trenk, having met a much younger and more attractive lady, had the foolishness to tell her about the intimate merits (or, rather, demerits) of his “lady of the heart”. But it is known that in palaces (and in bedrooms too!) Even walls have ears, and it is clear that Maria Theresia was immediately informed about his unpleasant statements. The result can be easily imagined. For "all sorts of villainy and arbitrariness" he was imprisoned in the Špilberk fortress, towering over the city of Brno. However, even then he tried to show his frantic disposition and … decided to escape! With the help of a young beloved, the escape was prepared in an original way. Trenk had to gorge himself on some potions, fall into a dream, similar to death, and immediately after the funeral he had to be dug up and … here it is freedom! But at the last moment, this cunning plan was issued to the commandant of the fortress (and, it seems, one of those whom Trekn ruined and dispossessed) and he, deciding that since no one had yet escaped from Spilberk, then there was no need to create a precedent for this. And if so, then the already "deceased" Trenok was awakened and sent to a punishment cell without windows, where he soon died.
Inside the fortress itself, with high walls, there was also a fortress castle-prison, surrounded by such a moat!
And it was there, seeing the end of his life, the baron turned to God and summoned a confessor from the Capuchin order! What they talked about and how the Capuchin brother admonished this inveterate sinner, history has left us no information.
But the Capuchin Chronicle proves that the time spent in prison influenced his conscience and he began to regret his unrestrained life. As a result, before his death, he left four thousand gold pieces to the same Capuchin brothers. I wanted to be buried here, in their tomb and stayed in it forever!
Representatives of the nobility buried in coffins.
If you go to the next room, you can see unique wall paintings in the Baroque style with motifs of death and resurrection, symbols of fragility and the transient existence of man, found in the tomb under the Church of the Renaissance of the Lord in Prague Loreta in 2011. Their author, most likely, was an artist of the Capuchin order, and in 1664, using the technique of frescoes, but only in shades of black and gray, he created these paintings. He worked according to Flemish and Dutch graphic designs commissioned by the then patroness of Countess Loreta Alzhbeta Apolonia Kolovratova. One of them is called "The Triumph of Death". It shows the triumph of the bony over the people, which draws a bow and prepares to send a deadly arrow right between the eyes of a person directly entering. Here is Chronos with a scythe and also … the scene of the resurrection of Lazarus. Like, believe in the Lord and hope and, you see, someone will resurrect you!
You can freely walk between the coffins, look at the remains. This is thought-provoking …
Next to the figure of Death, pulling the bow, there is a fresco with the angel of the last judgment - those who committed evil will go to eternal torment, the just ones - to eternal life. The figure of a boy "sits" in the window, blowing bubbles that symbolize the fragility of a person's life.
The third hall is the resting place of the Grimmov family. This renowned family of builders and architects is associated with the Capuchins not only by business, but also by friendly relations. Even two sons of the Morzhits Grimm, and later his grandson, joined the Capuchin order.
There is also a unique collection of baroque coffins, that is, not only Italian mafiosi and "new Russians" love to be buried in something pretentious. In the past, there have also been corresponding precedents. True, the collection is mainly represented by lids. They are mostly made of oak, and only a few are made of pine and decorated with hand-painted oil paints. Popular subjects: the crucifixion of Christ, pomegranates, apple branches, skulls with crossed bones and various intricate ornaments.
At the entrance next time you will be greeted by the figure of an angel, which points to the Latin inscription: "Sic transit gloria inundi", which in translation means "Thus passes secular glory." Here lie the bodies of the dead, who were rich and socially recognized during their lifetime. Until the end of the 18th century, many representatives of noble Austrian and Czech families were buried in this crypt for a lot of money. It was believed that their chances of getting to heaven were increased by the proximity to the monastic graves. Among them: Count Jan Wilhelm of Sinsendorf and Pottendorf (died 1695), general and chief of the Špilberk fortress; Countess Maria Magdalena Isabella of Sinzendorf (died 1719) Countess Maria Eleonora Kottulinskaya-Vrbnova (d. 1761), who was transported here from Vienna and laid next to her first husband. Count Václav Mikhail Joseph of Vrbna and Bruntal (died 1756), her husband, chief judge of the Margravate of Moravia, secret imperial councilor and valet, knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece are also buried here; Count Leopold Antonin de Sac of Bohunovice (d. 1725), supreme judge of the Margravate of Moravia and secret imperial counselor; Frantisek Philip de Philibert (d. 1753), general, commandant in charge of Morava, head of the horse detachment in Brno. Jiri Barnabas Orelli (d. 1757), a chimney sweep master, later a workshop foreman, a city dweller from Brno is also buried here, in the fifth hall. Together with his wife Victoria, they generously supported the Capuchin brothers and helped them also solve various issues in the work of the monastery.
Hands of Countess Eleanor Kottulinskaya-Vrbnova. Looking at them, it is not at all difficult to imagine how they begin to move, then she rises from the coffin and … strangles you with a wild cry! And what? Anything can be expected from a woman who has lain in the basement for so many years.
By the way, it is worth paying attention to the fact that individual rooms of the tomb have different heights. This is due to the fact that the church and the monastery were built on the sites of nine different houses, and their cellars were then connected to each other and used for burial. A large brick cabinet to the left in the corner was intended to store the remains of the dead, whose bodies eventually disintegrated so much that they were no longer bodies.
The last, sixth room, was just reserved for the Capuchin monks, who were buried in a very funny way, as far as this word is generally applicable to funerals. The deceased were alternately placed in the same oak coffin with a retractable bottom, and after the funeral service they were carried to the tomb. There, the bottom of the coffin was removed and the corpse found itself on the bare floor, perhaps with only one or two bricks under its head. Well, and the coffin, of course, was saved for other funerals, that is, it was used in a highly rational way.
And this is how the monks lie on the ground in the crypt. The Capuchin Order promoted poverty, and here they are - a clear embodiment of it.
The brothers were buried with practically no identification of a specific person, only with the modest attributes of their monastic status. Here is perhaps the figure of the Capuchin on the right, who is holding a wooden cross. This is a sign that the deceased has lived in the order for more than 50 years. Hands are wrapped around the rosary with which the brothers prayed every day.
Currently, the Capuchin brothers are buried in the Brnonese central cemetery. On this, our journey through the dungeon with the mummies of the dead can be considered complete, although in the city of Brno, under the Church of St. James, there is also an ossuary, in which the remains of 50 thousand people are kept. This is the second largest ossuary in Europe, second only to the Paris one. It was discovered in 2001 while renovating Jacob's Square. In June 2012, it was opened to visitors. But since this "ossuary" is open for visiting as part of a group of up to 25 people, I did not go there, and the remains of Baron Trenk were not there either …
