Few people know that he was a canon in the Prague Cathedral, yet he is undoubtedly known to everyone who took the Czech language and literature matriculation exam in the Czech Republic. He is Jan Milíč from Kroměříž, originally an associate of the Emperor and King Charles IV. and later a Czech reform preacher, whose popularity in the 20th century made him the most popular preacher in the Czech Republic. century, one of the paintings from the cycle of Slavic epics by Alfons Mucha was painted by him and one of the streets in Prague’s Žižkov district bears his name. His membership in the Prague Metropolitan Chapter is not usually emphasized and according to the available sources he probably served in our cathedral for only one year before he resigned his office around 1363. Nevertheless, we can find his painting in the gallery of prominent Prague canons, which is part of the rich painted decoration of the vaults on the ground floor of the chapter deanery (the so-called Mladot House) in the immediate vicinity of our cathedral in Vikářská Street.
The painting “Jan Milíč of Kroměříž” from the cycle “Slavic Epic”; “Alfons Mucha, 1916
As a preacher, Jan Milíč was quite radical and began to live an ascetic life under the influence of the reformer Konrad Waldhauser. On more than one occasion he came into conflict with the Pope for his radical statements, especially when he calculated the date of the coming of the Antichrist and identified him with the Emperor Charles IV. He was imprisoned at the time, but he was able to defend his views later and was even released from prison with an apology by order of Pope Urban V himself. In his priestly ministry he placed great emphasis on preaching and Eucharistic reverence, advocating frequent reception of the Lord’s Body by the laity and serving it to the faithful at every Mass, which was very unusual in his time. He also took great care to convert prostitutes to repentance, for whom he even created a refuge in Prague in a former public house, which he transformed into a preaching school and called Jerusalem. On behalf of the Archbishop, he delivered three synodal sermons to the clergy of the Prague Archdiocese. Later, he again faced the charge of heresy and made his way to Avignon to defend himself before the papal curia. However, his defence was again successful, as evidenced by the fact that he was subsequently commissioned to preach a Pentecost sermon to the College of Cardinals in Avignon. This was also one of his last appearances, for it was in Avignon on 29. June is dying. It was 650 years since his death last Saturday.
Photo: Portrait of Jan Milíč of Kroměříž in the gallery of canons of the Metropolitan Chapter in Mladot House, Prague Castle; Painting “Jan Milíč of Kroměříž” from the cycle “Slavic Epic”; “Alfons Mucha, 1916
Author of text and photo: Ing. Ondřej Stříteský
