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Paolo Piazza pinxit. Capuchin brother as a painter at the end of the Rudolphine era

Publication at Catholic Theological Faculty |
2017

Abstract

Paola Piazza's stay in the Czech lands during the reign of Emperor Rudolf II was a premeditated act of the Capuchin order. In Prague, the mission of the newly established Capuchin order was to participate in the renewal of Catholic life according to the regulations of the Council of Trent.

During his activities in Central Europe, Paolo Piazza, also known by his religious name fr. Cosma da Castelfranco, had the task to create painting decorations for emerging Capuchin monasteries and churches.

During Paolo Piazza's stay in the Czech lands, two monasteries of Capuchin brothers were established: at Prague's Hradčany and a few years later also in Moravia in Brno. Only a few works originating from Piazza's activities in Bohemia and Moravia were signed by him or later ascribed to him by archival documentation.