Studying the facade of the Church of St. Thomas in Brno facilitates an in-depth analysis of Baroque architectural idioms in Central Europe. By carrying out a comparative study, it is possible to detect and examine the common features and those derived from earlier Baroque churches. In doing so, one can understand Baroque architecture’s exceptional diffusion and stratification and the role of religious orders in this dissemination.

The Church of St. Thomas (Kostel svatého Tomáše) in Brno traces its origins to 1350 when it was established as part of an Augustinian monastery by Jan Jindřich Lucemburský, brother of Emperor Charles IV. Intended as a dynastic burial site, the church became the final resting place only for Jindřich and his son. The church was then consecrated in 1356 by the Bishop of Olomouc, Jan Očko z Vlašimi.

Originally constructed as a little monastery church, it had many reconstructive projects and significant transformations over the centuries, culminating in its Baroque reconstruction between 1665 and 1675 under architect Jan Křtitel Erna. In the 1730s, Mořic Grimm (1669–1757) – a Bavarian architect active in the Czech lands and particularly in Brno – was commissioned to continue the Baroque renovation of the church; he worked on both the area of the presbytery and designed the monumental portal that is preserved today.

Mořic Grimm, like many Central European architects of his time, was exposed to Italian models through various means. While no direct evidence of Grimm’s training in Rome exists, his architectural vocabulary suggests familiarity with the architectural typology – particularly the one from the Jesuit and Theatine order churches – disseminated through engravings, prints or drawings within the cultural networks of Europe. Conversely, his son, František Antonín Grimm’s Roman trips and training periods are documented in subsequent decades. He worked at Nicola Salvi’s studio in the second half of the 1730s and completed the renovation work of his father in the church of St. Thomas.

Focusing on the church building, one can detect and understand some key elements of the Baroque architecture here deployed. The floor plan of the Church features a longitudinal body with side chapels. The facade, characterised by its vertical symmetrical composition, features volutes on the sides. While the gaze is guided to the centre on the primary vertical axis by the tall arched window, the vertical articulation is punctuated by horizontal cornices, which segment the facade into three distinct zones. The facade, completed in 1675, demonstrates a clear lineage from the Roman architectural environment of the Counter-Reformation. However, its transmission to Brno was not a direct importation but a layered adaptation process.

To understand this process, it is necessary to include a systemic study of the cultural environment in which these architectural languages spread. Above all, Central Europe was visited by Italian architects, engineers and artists who came for work from the teaching environment of Roman architecture at the Accademia di San Luca or sent their designs by correspondence to clients. Within this network, new “Italian” foundations of architectural theory spread and took root through prints, engravings, drawings and especially treatises. In these, the teaching of circles, ovals and ellipses – mainly due to the diffusion of Luyts’ Doctrina Sphaerica (1689) – becomes essential.

About the Church of St. Thomas facade, the influence is discernible from at least two Roman models: the Church of the Gesù and the Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian, where are visible the innovations introduced by the Italian architects Giacomo della Porta, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola and Carlo Maderno. However, going beyond this first visual reading and examining further comparative cases, it is even more essential to study the network of cultural-architectonic relations in which this migration of models occurred.

Several cases of applying Roman churches‘ architectural models in a transalpine environment can be seen clearly. The Church of St. Maria Rotunda in Wien, whose facade was completed between the 1660s and the 1670s and attributed to Giovanni Giacomo Tencalla, provides a convenient intermediary example, showcasing how the Roman idiom was translated into the Habsburg sphere before further permeating Moravia. The St. Salvator Church in Prague is a fitting example of this dynamic, externally reconstructed in its present appearance by the Italian architect Carlo Lurago, who was active in the city in the service of the Jesuit order. In its facade, two distinctively Italian architectural elements merge, the salient facade with lateral volutes and the three-fornices triumphal arch, thus consolidating the tradition of early Roman Baroque-inspired facades in Central Europe already in the last quarter of the 17th century.

Two more peculiar cases presenting singular contacts with the facade of St. Thomas are the two ones of the St. Francis Xavier Church in Uherské Hradiště and the Jesuitenkirche in Wien, completed respectively in 1682 and 1703, both by the Jesuit order. In these two cases, the element of the elongated gabled facade with side volutes is embedded in a more complex design of a “palace-looking” facade flanked by two tall side towers.

One further example links all those mentioned: the parish church of the Assumption of Our Lady in Valtice consecrated in 1671. Its construction began in 1631 at the behest of Karl Eusebius, prince of Liechtenstein, who commissioned the work to Giovanni Battista Carlone and Tencalla. This particular church brings together elements of all the cases analysed before and even the Church of St. Thomas itself: the architects Tencalla and Ondřej (Andrea) Erna, father of the Jan Křtitel Erna who worked in Brno; the inspiration from the Church of the Gesù floor plan and facade by Vignola; the presence of the Jesuit order; the idiom of the gabled facade enclosed between two lateral towers. This case, therefore, proves not only the affirmation of a facade model already widely used and appreciated in the region but also the fact that all these buildings share several common elements, as well as the architectural autonomy and competence in experimenting with these models, with the integration of new or local elements.

Such an overview of the diffusion of these architectonic languages in Central Europe exemplifies at least two macro aspects: firstly, the dynamic interplay between the centre of experimentation of a language and its applications; secondly, the attractor and connector role of religious orders thanks to their extensive networks that enabled the transfer of architectural ideas, techniques and practices. In particular, one notices the common denominator to almost all these architectural phenomena: the Jesuit order. The broader phenomenon of Jesuit architectural patronage played a crucial role in establishing a shared visual language worldwide, functioning as a key agent in disseminating Baroque forms.

The Church of St. Thomas and the other examples analysed serve as a testament to the dissemination of Baroque architecture in Central Europe. While embracing some elements of the grandeur and expressiveness of its Roman counterparts, St. Thomas incorporates local artistic traditions and materials, resulting in a unique fusion that reflects the region’s cultural identity. This synthesis underscores the international character of Baroque architecture, facilitated by the pivotal role of religious orders.

As all the above points may have demonstrated, conducting comparative and cultural studies is the most suitable approach to illuminate the complex interplay between artistic styles and languages and their traditions. In doing so, one can link multiple case studies, connect them to theoretical and historical elements and finally prove that Baroque architectural motifs were not just transplanted but actively transformed, demonstrating regional architectural agency. Such analyses ultimately reveal the mechanisms through which architectural styles transcended geographical boundaries, fostering a shared yet diverse cultural heritage.

Photo:

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