The forgotten path

Accept our invitation to St Anne’s Church in Jablonec nad Nisou and discover the story of the Stations of the Cross by Josef Knight Führich, a native of Chrastava and renowned professor at the Vienna Academy. Step into the dramatic scenes that once graced churches and prayer books across the globe – from Vienna and the Jizera Mountains to the Solomon Islands.

You can visit the church interior and view the Stations of the Cross from 30 June to 30 August, Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 am to 12.30 pm and 1 pm to 5 pm.

Further information: In 2005–2006, the Roman Catholic Church of St Anne was transferred to the town and restored. The original furnishings have not survived; the interior was refurbished in a simple style and a new organ was installed. Today, the church is used primarily for cultural events of a more dignified nature – concerts and exhibitions. It has not entirely lost its liturgical function either – with the celebration of annual masses in honour of St Anne, the town’s patron saint.

We do not know what Stations of the Cross it originally contained, but since 2014 it has housed a technically remarkable copy of the Stations of the Cross by the Chrastava-born painter Josef Knight Führich (1800–1876), who later became a renowned professor at the Vienna Academy. The artist created the original frescoes between 1844 and 1846 for the new Church of St John of Nepomuk on Praterstrasse in Vienna. The dramatic life-size scenes immediately gained great popularity, and soon after their completion the Stations began to be imitated – both in churches and in print, for example in prayer books. Copies of various sizes and styles are, surprisingly, still being produced today and can be found in hundreds of locations both at home and abroad. They can also be found in the Jizera Mountains (Rýnovice, Janov, Lučany). And in the Church of St. Wenceslas in Rychnov, there is an outstanding classical hand-painted copy, thanks in particular to the so-called ‘Rychnov School of Painting’, which was active in the town in the 19th century. A comprehensive list, which is constantly updated, is maintained by the parent church in Vienna under the link:HERE.

The work of this successful native of the Jizera Mountains, originally intended for Vienna, has over time become a veritable global phenomenon. Today it is practically forgotten, and you have the opportunity to be part of its rediscovery.

Opening hours:

30 June – 30 August Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–12:30, 13:00–17:00

18–19 September (Friday and Saturday) as part of European Heritage Days and the celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of Jablonec’s elevation to town status

The event is organised by the Tourist Information Centre in Jablonec nad Nisou (Kultura Jablonec, p. o.) in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church. Photo: Pavel Kusala