The sword and the so-called Čáslav calva – the upper part of the skull with a damaged supraorbital arch, probably Žižka’s – and a facsimile of the Jistebnické chantry were exhibited by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church in Prague’s Bethlehem Chapel. The objects can be seen on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Friday, the Hussite Church dedicated a service to the military leader in the Bethlehem Chapel.
Close-up shots of Žižka’s sword may not be taken.
The clergy of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Hana Tonzarová, told Novinka that the sword was taken from Prague by Swedish troops in 1648 with the Rudolphin collections. Of them, the Codex gigas, known as the Devil’s Bible, has so far reached Prague, while Žižk’s sword has not yet. “They lent it just now on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of Žižek’s death,” said Tonzarová. The exhibit will be strictly guarded at all times.
According to her, the sword has an incalculable value, even if it is impossible to find out who owned it. “It is not possible to confirm whether the sword really belonged to Jan Žižek, unlike the Čáslav calf, historical analyzes were not performed on it. Therefore, it cannot be said with absolute certainty that this sword was really wielded by Žižka’s hand,” said Tonzarová.
Approximation of Jan Žižka’s face according to the skullVideo: Cicero da Costa Moraes
It is clearly a sword from the time of the Hussite Wars, although its handle was probably reworked later. It is not known how the sword got into the collection of curiosities of Emperor Rudolf II. “But it also had a historical value for Rudolf II. He probably wouldn’t keep anything in his collections,” added Tonzarová.
According to the Swedish curator Jonas Häggblom, the sword consists of two parts, the older blade and the younger handle. The younger part could be from the 16th century, but according to him, it is an old, valuable sword that tells a story about how important it could be to have a relic of Jan Žižka.
Historian Petr Čornej, author of a large monograph on Žižek, thinks that the sword never directly belonged to Žižek. He told Czech Radio on Friday; at the same time, he emphasized Žižka’s military victories over Emperor Sigismund’s crusaders in 1420 and 1422. “We do not have a greater and more successful warrior in Czech history,” he stated on Radio Čorná.
Equestrian statue of Jan Žižka in Prague’s Vítkov
The sword can be seen in the basement of the Bethlehem Chapel in poor lighting. Calva and a facsimile of the hymnal are placed directly in the prayer room. During the Friday Mass, a sermon was given on Žižka’s meaning, which, according to the Hussites, was distorted in different generations. His fight for the reform of the church and the world and his clear will not to be silenced are essential. The mass ended with the reception of the blood and body of Christ for all those interested.
Monument to Jan Žižka in Trocnov
Many cities organized events for Žižek’s anniversary. The Hussite Church also had a film made about the warlord. Until recently, Jan Žižka was depicted with a mace. His equestrian statue in Vítkov by Bohumil Kafka and the statue in his native Trocnov in South Bohemia hold maces, but they are also equipped with a long sword.
