Saving the Chapels on Holy Hill in Mikulov
The structures on the top of Holy Hill are exposed to considerably unfavourable climatic conditions. In the last sixty years, not a year has gone by without at least minor repairs being performed on Holy Hill. Renovation of the Way of the Cross is now again necessary to ensure that this wonderful feature of the town is preserved for future generations.
The last comprehensive restoration work on the Way of the Cross was performed in the years 1990–1997. Essential renovation work on the Way of the Cross is, however, again required at the present time. In view of the demanding nature of the repairs to this unique monument, the Mikulov Municipal Authority has become involved in the preparations for this renovation work.
A general project for the renovation of the Way of the Cross was drawn up in 2009 in co-operation with the church. Mikulov Municipal Authority applied for a subsidy from European Union funds in view of the great extent of the necessary repairs. This application was not, however, successful, and this lead to the idea of adoption or donorship in respect of the renovation of the individual chapels on the Way of the Cross. Mayor of Mikulov Rostislav Koštial has taken on personal responsibility for the project to Save the Chapels on Holy Hill in Mikulov. He has decided to make an emphatic call on the general public to contribute towards the repair of the chapels on Holy Hill. Entrepreneurs and town patriots have now adopted some of the chapels requiring repairs.
The aim of the project to Save the Chapels on Holy Hill is not merely the renovation of the individual structures, but also the restoration of the chapels’ decorative features where these have survived and the addition of decorative work to the chapels on which it is now missing. Restoration work on individual stations is now beginning.
A charity event was held in June 2011 as part of this project, with the auctioning of a picture by the painter Jánuš Kubíček entitled “A View of Mikulov”. Adam Kubíček, son of the painter and graphic designer Jánuš Kubíček from Brno, donated one of his father’s pictures for this charity auction.
The aim of the Town of Mikulov and a number of other organisations is to return the Way of the Cross to its original glory. This is surely no more than the oldest surviving Way of the Cross in the Czech Lands deserves.
