Picture fifteen. With the fifteenth painting of the Slavonic Epic by Alfons Mucha, you will feel that you are not just looking at a simple painting with a sunny harmonious motif, but literally a living chronicle of a nation. The scene dedicated to the Unity of the Brethren in Moravia will impress you with an extraordinary, positive power - quietly, yet urgently. In it I sensed the deep breath of history and the humble faith of people who chose to serve the truth proclaimed by Jan Hus and the Word of God.
Mucha captured here the moment when the religious movement inspired by the teachings of Petr Chelčický moved to Ivančice, his birthplace. It was here that the Unity of Brethren began to print the first fully written Czech Bible - a work that was completed in nearby Kralice nad Oslavou and went down in history as the Kralická Bible. As you look at the group of brothers gathered around the first copies of this Bible, you feel you can hear the rustle of paper and the beating hearts of those who believed that language was the foundation of identity.
Into this sacred moment enters the Moravian nobleman from Žerotín, arriving for an inspection. The students flock to him with reverence and enthusiasm. Yet it was another figure that struck me most - a boy who stands aside and reads the Bible to a blind old man. I sensed humility and determination in his attitude. I read that his role model was Mucha himself in his youth. It was here that I felt that the author had not imprinted himself on the painting out of vanity, but out of a deep personal belief in the mission of education and the light of knowledge.
The symbolism of the swifts circling the church tower filled me with a quiet sadness. These messengers of the future seemed to foreshadow the forced departure of the brothers after the Battle of White Mountain. In their wings I felt unease, but also hope. The departure for friendlier lands was not just an escape, but a continuation of the journey. In my opinion, Mucha expressed the belief that an idea cannot be silenced - it can be driven away but never destroyed.
The altered dome of the Ivančice church seems to connect the past with the future. The image struck me as a silent assurance that Czech identity is not only based on victories, but also on perseverance in times of oppression. I felt pride, emotion and gratitude. For me, the fifteenth painting of the Slavonic Epic is a prayer for the nation, language, faith and national memory. You are witnessing a moment when a book was born that transcended its time and became a symbol of our national identity. And that, to me, is the greatness of this work - it can awaken the heart and remind us of who we are.
Jan Vojtěch, Editor-in-Chief, General News
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