Bečov CastleThe castle consists of an outer ward, of which merely the outlines are known, and a castle core situated on a rocky hilltop. The castle's entrance was guarded by a circular keep. The polygonal tower on the opposite side was probably only later invested with the Visitation chapel. In the second half of the 14th century a massive quadrangular tower or donjon was added to the north-western corner of the central section and surrounded with a ward. The architectural development of the castle was concluded by the construction of an early Renaissance section connecting both quadrangular towers.

DonjonThe four-story residential tower in the castle bears witness to the high aesthetic requirements and comfort of living in those days. The main features of the donjon are the detailled portals, fire hearths with flat brickwork chimneys, paintings in the master's chambers, the system of lavatories on corbels, unique Gothic and Renaissance furnishings of the rooms, painted timber ceiling and Baroque roof timbers.

Connecting WingThe Pluhs of Rabštejn connected both towers with a new wing consisting of a ground floor and two stories, where new represenative rooms, including dining halls with large windows were situated.

Chapel TowerThe castle's main Visitation chapel, along with its family crypt, was built in the smaller polygonal tower probably between 1352 -57. In the late 14th century its walls and vaults were enhanced with exceptional and impressive Gothic paintings depicting scenes from the New Testament. The paintings have been preserved to date.

Pluh's PalaceSince the castle no longer met the requirements of the Renaissance period in the mid-16th century, the Pluh Palace consisting of three houses,was erected here.Preserved Renaissance elements include the vaulting on the ground floor and interesting archive rooms with in built wooden cabinets on the upper floor. The Palace was later remodelled in the Neo-Classical style. There is stonework from the Gothic battlements in the wall above its gardens.

BergfritThe central section of the site was guarded by a circular keep, the last refuge of the castle's owners. This tower had to be lowered to a large extent in 1623 due to its poor condition. In the 19th century, the preserved 6-metre section was transformed into an observation gallery.

New PalaceA Baroque palace was constucted in the mid 18th century by Dominik Ondřej Kounic, who inherited from the Questenbeg family. The unusually lay-out of the site is dominated by tower erected on the site of the so-called Lacron Bastion dating back to the Thirty Years' War (named after the military commander at the time, Jan de la Cron). A Baroque bridge leads to an early Renaissance entrance portal in the past there was a draw bridge here.

Liquid treasure

Together with the reliquary, in 1985 there were found 133 bottles of archive wine and cognac coming from the end of the 19th century. A recent expert survey has shown that wines are still in good shape.

The collection of archive wines was created by the Beaufort-Spontin family, which owned the area of today's State Castle and the Becov Chateau in 1838 - 1945. The collection was probably formed in the period before the First World War, but not with the ambition to create an investment for future sale but as a wine After a certain period of dining. The value of the collection for its Beaufort-Spontin owners shows that at the end of the II. World War II, a collection of 133 wines housed together with a remarkable Romanesque monument by St. John the Baptist. Maura under the castle chapel floor. During the war, the family sympathized with Nazi Germany and, after its end, resorted to its estates in Austria. They probably concealed the objects with the idea that they would be able to return after a few years. Due to the political situation in Czechoslovakia in the second half of the 20th century, however, the bottles were traced together with the reliquary of St. Maura in 1985.

Since then, they have been stored in the premises of the state castle and the castle of Bečov and numerical control of their condition has been carried out. After building the depository in 2009, they were moved to more convenient spaces in the cellar of the building with custodians and in 2010. In 2011, three bottles were found, which were discovered during an archaeological survey at the parks of Bečov Castle, probably hidden by some of the servants Of the Beaufort-Spontin family also in the II. World war.

Already in 2011 there were first contacts with the University of Chemical Technology, which could eventually carry out expert wine expertise, but it would be destructive research, so the process was suspended. In 2014, the first guide wine survey was conducted in cooperation with Prima TV for the management of the famous sommelier, Mr. Jakub Pribyl, who appreciated the whole wine and the collection.

On 22 May 2016, an expert assessment of the current state and quality of the wine took place. With the special Coravin technology, a small amount of wine was removed from the bottles, without the need for decoction and consequently the content of the contents after the oxidation, followed by an expert panel made up of Jakub Pribyl, the holder of the Master of Sommeliers, Advanced Sommelier, Andreas Wickhoff, Master of Wine and Greg Lambrecht, inventor of Coravin technology.

During the review, the jury tested a total of thirteen samples. In addition to one sample, which was labeled "dead", all wines were "alive", ie. The wine of the Château d'Yquem from 1896 was labeled as an absolute top. The survey showed that most wines are in perfect condition.

Based on the results of the assessment, the expert judgment and the value of the entire collection will be reviewed in the near future.

Professional wine tasting was organized by the National Heritage Institute in cooperation with VinoVinoVino.

The relic of Saint Maur

The reliquary of Saint Maur is an exceptional golden monument on the territory of the Czech Republic. In terms of value, this item is comparable to coronation jewels. Its discovery in 1985 is considered to be one of the largest findings of the 20th century in the then Czechoslovakia.

The reliquary of St. Maura belongs to a group of housekeepers (tumb) reliquaries. Inside are the skeletal remains of St. Jana Křtitel, sv. Maura, sv. Apolináře a sv. Timothy. It has a rectangular ground plan of 140 x 42 cm and is 65 cm tall. The original oak core was replaced by a new nut core. The reliquary decorations are made up of a set of twelve reliefs, fourteen statues of gilded silver, precious stones, semi-precious stones, antique gems, filigree and enamels.

The reliquary of St. Maura was made to order by the Benedictine monastery in Florennes (located in Belgium). This monastery was awarded the relics of St. John the Baptist and later St. John the Baptist. Maura from the Reims cathedral. Just to save the remains, the reliquary was made. After the French Revolution, the monastery in Florennes was abolished and moved to a friendly parish church where it was placed between the old furniture. Since 1838, the bereaved man's estate, Alfred de Beaufort-Spontin, was bought by the Church Council. He had his work repaired in the middle of the 19th century. In 1888, the reliquary was lent to an exhibition in Brussels and then transferred to Beaufort for his castle in Bečov nad Teplou. During the Second World War, they collaborated with the Nazis, and therefore had to leave the republic after the so-called Benes decrees. As a quick relocation, the reliquary hid under the floor of the Virgin Mary's Visiting Chapel. For the next 40 years, no one has heard of the reliquary. Until 1984, he began to negotiate a merchant from the USA, Danny Douglas, for the purchase of an undetermined historical monument, hidden in the territory of the Czechoslovak Republic. Negotiators were also invited to the negotiations, who were asked to find out what subject the trader was interested in. Thanks to several indications to the criminalist team led by František Maryška managed to select the reliquary, on November 4, 1985, they began to search the entire Bečov area and on November 5, 1985 the reliquary was discovered in the castle chapel. After the discovery, the reliquary was lent to the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, which developed the first expertise. The reliquary was rated as a monument of non-quantifiable value and therefore its exports were not considered. As a consequence of improper deposition in damp soil, the reliquary was in a very poor condition, requiring professional restoration. The restoration works could only begin in 1991 after clearing property and ownership relations.

LISTEN TO THE SHORT CARD OF THE CZECH REPRODUCTION ON THE HOLY MAURA RELIGION

The demanding and lengthy process of restoration was taken by the State Office of Monument Care. Their restorers have consulted with restorers from German Aachen. However, it was necessary to master long-forgotten goldsmith techniques and to develop new restoration techniques.

Restoration work lasted for 11 years. The reliquary was dismantled, cleaned, precious stones removed and cleaned, damaged statuettes and reliefs cleansed and repaired. It was necessary to make a new kernel because the original kernel could no longer be used. Rebuilding works were completed in 2002.

More information about this extraordinary monument can be found on the website of the recluse restorer Andrej Šumbery www.svatymaur.cz.

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