Mikulov-Svatý kopeček, kaple sv. Šebestiána

The chapel of St. Sebastian stands on the Holy Hill, originally called Tanzberg. The foundation stone of the chapel was laid in 1623. Unfortunately, the chapel burned down in 1663. A new chapel was built from 1672 to 1679. Cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein, the bishop of Olomouc and the owner of the Mikulov estate, had the Way of the Cross built after the year 1630. It was the expression of gratitude to God for overcoming the plague epidemy in Mikulov in 1622. There used to be seven Stations of the Cross at first. Their number corresponded to the custom of that time and this Way of the Cross is considered being the oldest in the Czech lands. At the same time, the bell tower and the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher were built. After 1750, the number of the Stations of the Cross extended to 14. However, in 1786, the chapel of St. Sebastian was cancelled, and the Way of the Cross was not used. But Augustin Bartenstein, the new provost, had the chapel, the bell tower, and the Stations of the Cross repaired in 1865. The traditions of the Ways of the Cross and the pilgrimage to the “Black Madonna” in Mikulov were revived. Mikulov was one of the most visited pilgrimage places during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Black Madonna: The statue of the Black Madonna has been worshiped in Mikulov since the beginning of the 17th century. The statue is made of cedarwood and its origin is in Italy. Cardinal Dietrichstein placed the statue in a newly built Loreta chapel of the church of St. Anna in Mikulov. This church used to be a part of a Capuchin monastery, founded by Cadinal Dietrichstein in 1611. In one chapel of the church, a copy of the house of the Holy Family from Nazareth – “Sancta casa” was built. This type of chapel is called “Loreta” according to the Italian town Loretto, where the first “Sancta casa” can be found. The Loreta chapel in Mikulov is one of the oldest Loreta chapels in the Czech Republic. The Loreta chapel in Prague was built according to it. In 1784, the church of St. Anna was destroyed by a fire. And the statue of the Black Madonna was moved to St. Venceslas´ Church. The church of St. Anna became a crypt of the Dietrichstein family in the first half of the 19th century.

Distance from the object

Railway station

Bus stop