Image eight. The paintings of Alfons Mucha's Slavonic Epic are among the deepest and most emotional statements of the entire cycle. It depicts the moment when, in the heart of medieval Prague, fateful ideas were born that were to fundamentally change the spiritual and social development of the Czech lands - the sermon of Master Jan Hus in the Bethlehem Chapel. Here Mucha creates not a mere historical illustration, but a monumental spiritual drama that combines faith, moral courage, intellectual defiance and the tragic fate of a man who defied the power of his time.
The figure of Jan Hus stands at the centre of the painting, not only physically but also in terms of significance. His expression is calm, focused and deeply convinced. He is not a fanatic, but a true thinker who awakens the conscience of the nation with his words. Mucha depicts him at the moment of preaching, when words become deeds and ideas become moral actions. The listeners around him – students writing down his words, townspeople and ordinary people – embody the hunger for truth that was growing in society at that time.
The masterful composition of the painting highlights the symbolism of the space. The Bethlehem Chapel is not only an architectural framework, but also the spiritual centre of the Czech Reformation. Although Mucha based his work on the appearance of the chapel after its later reconstruction, its Gothic vault acts here as a temple of thought, where the human word touches eternity. The light shining down from above becomes a symbol of knowledge and God's truth.
The secondary characters are also significant, expanding the temporal and conceptual horizons of the painting. The merchant Kříž, founder of the chapel, reminds us of the civic responsibility of lay people for the spiritual life of society. Jan Žižka, depicted beneath the image of Saint George, personifies future armed resistance against injustice – he listens silently, but already carries within him the fire of the coming storm. The presence of Queen Sophie under the canopy proves that Hus's words penetrated even the highest strata of society and could not be silenced by mere authority.
Here, Mucha combines history with vision with extraordinary sensitivity. He does not idealise, but elevates. His Jan Hus is not merely a martyr, but a symbol of moral courage that transcends the centuries. The eighth painting of the Slav Epic thus appears not only as a scene from the past, but as a lasting call for truth, responsibility and human dignity. This is where its timeless power and profound humanistic message lie. Reference to the seventh painting: More here
Jan Vojtěch, Editor-in-chief, General News
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