THE BRETHEREN SCHOOL IN IVANČICE

In the 15th century, a religious group known as the Unity of the Brethren emerged due to disagreements with the events in the church, which was spreading a bad reputation. Thanks to the influence of humanism, the originally austere approach to education improved, and brotherly schools were among the best in the Czech lands.

Mucha's painting depicts his birthplace Ivančice, with the city walls and the church tower from the 16th century. One of the well-known brotherly schools was the law school in Ivančice, supported by the lord of Rositze and Namest, Charles the Elder of Zerotín. Important figures taught at this school, including Bishop Jan Blahoslav, who translated part of the New Testament from Greek into Czech. Jan Blahoslav established a printing house in the brotherly congregation in Ivančice, which printed part of the first Czech translation of the Bible. In 1578, the printing house was moved to nearby Kralitze, and thus the aforementioned edition is called the Kralitze Bible, which is considered a jewel of Czech literature.

The painting illustrates a lesson at the brotherly school in the garden. The teaching is interrupted by a visit from Charles the Elder of Zerotín, who sits in front of the shelter, examining the first pages of the Bible in the presence of Jan Blahoslav. In the foreground, a blind man listens as a young man reads from the Bible. The young man resembles Alfons Mucha. The swifts flying around the church tower in Ivančice indicate that members of the Unity of the Brethren will soon be preparing for their fateful departure. After the battle of White Mountain in 1620, many members of the Unity of the Brethren had to leave their homes and seek refuge in other countries due to their faith.