Bečov nad Teplou Castle and Chateau
The cut-and-assemble model of the Bečov nad Teplou (Petschau) Castle and Chateau is a double model, which, in addition to the castle grounds themselves, also contains a unique model of the Reliquary of Saint Maurus, which is closely connected to the history of the castle and is also exhibited here.
The Bečov nad Teplou castle and chateau (“Petschau” in German) is located in the Czech Republic in the Karlovy Vary Region, approximately sixty kilometers far from the border with Germany.
The castle originally consisted of a bergfrit (a tall defensive tower), a three-part residential wing and ramparts, but shortly after this basic structure, the area was expanded by two donjons (residential towers). During the Hussite Wars in 1430, the castle was conquered. When the Pluhová of Rabštejn Lords acquired the Bečov estate in 1495, another phase of the castle's construction expansion began. A wing of banquet halls was created in the space between the donjon and the chapel. The old castle palace between the new castle and the bergfrit was then rebuilt in the Renaissance style into a palace with fifteen rooms. In 1624, the estate was acquired by Gerhard of Questenberk, who repaired the castle complex. In 1648, the castle was conquered and plundered by the Swedish army. Another major change in the architectural form of the area occurred during the era of Count Jan Adam of Questenberk. For his stays in Bečov, he had a Baroque chateau built in 1701 - first, an octagonal corner tower was built, to which the main castle building was attached after 1710. A smaller building, serving as a kitchen, was then added on the other side of the tower.
In 1813, the area was sold to Duke Frederic August Beaufort-Spontin. This family left France after the Great French Revolution and Frederic August decided to relocate to Austria. He chose Bečov as his main residence. The Bečov estate then belonged to this family until 1945. The members of the family, thanks to their wealth, carried out a number of modernizations in the area. Since the last Duke Heinrich Maria Eugen was an active member of the German SDP party and his sons fought in the Wehrmacht, all the property of the Beaufort-Spontin family was nationalized by the Czechoslovak State after the WW2.
In the years 1945-75, the area was used by various institutions, whose treatment of the property led to the fact that most of the buildings fell into disrepair. From 1978 to 1996, the lower castle was reconstructed and opened to the public in 1996. The reconstruction of the upper castle continues to the present day.
Reliquary of St. Maurus
What is a reliquary? It is a container for the holy relics, created for religious purposes. This container is usually made of wood and precious metals (gold, silver, copper) and richly decorated with jewels, gems and filigree elements. However, reliquaries can also take the form of small boxes resembling jewelry, or decorative panels.
The reliquary of St. Maurus was made in the first quarter of the 13th century for the Benedictine abbey in Florennes, Belgium. It was then moved to the collegiate church in Florennes, where it ended up in a furniture warehouse. From there, Alfred de Beaufort bought it in 1838 for 2,500 francs. Then the reliquary appeared in 1888 at an exhibition in Brussels, from where it was transported to Bečov in early 1889. When the Beauforts had to leave Bečov in May 1945, they did not want to risk the dangerous transport of a large object, so they buried the reliquary in the floor of the castle chapel. As a result, the reliquary was completely forgotten for 40 years. In June 1984, Danny Douglas contacted the Czechoslovak state with a request to export an unspecified monument, for which he offered 250,000 USD. In November 1985, a systematic search of the castle grounds began, and the next day a reliquary was discovered in the backfill of the castle chapel floor. After forty years, a work of art was rediscovered, which almost immediately ranked right behind the crown jewels in terms of its artistic and historical value. The reliquary remained the property of Czechoslovakia due to legal issues.
The reliquary of St. Maurus is 138.5 cm long, 42 cm wide and 64.5 cm high. A rich decoration of gilded silver and copper was placed on the wooden oak core, creating figurative, relief and filigree elements, complemented by enamel and varnish plates, jewel stones and antique gems.
At the head of the reliquary, the figure of Jesus Christ sits on a throne. The second dominant figure on the opposite head is St. Maurus. On the sides between Christ and Maurus, the figures of the twelve apostles with their attributes sit in shallow niches. The original of this unique artistic monument can be seen exhibited at Bečov Castle and you can now build its model in a scale of 1:10 yourself.
We would like to thank Mr. Miroslav Konopka for his great help in creating this model and for writing the accompanying texts!
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