Šporkův palác

Could a skull really inspire great art? At Šporkův palác, the answer might just be yes. This grand palace, also known as Piccolominiovský Palace or Martinický Palace, stands on Malá Strana in Prague. It has a rich history interwoven with art, music, and a touch of the macabre. Šporkův palác began as a Renaissance house. After 1631, it belonged to Gundakar of Herberstein, then to Sigmund Friedrich of Saurau who initiated Baroque renovations in 1666. His widow, Zuzana Polyxena Martinicová, continued the work. In the late 17th century, it underwent a Baroque transformation under Santino de Bossi for Jan Maria Piccolomini. A stucco-decorated garden wing was added around 1685. The palace reached its Baroque peak between 1723 and 1726. Further stylistic adjustments were made by Josef Karel of Hallweil (1686-1749). The garden wing was divided into three sections, the central part heightened and topped with a triangular pediment. The ground-floor wings received segmented pediments. Naturalistic stucco festoons, ribbons, and cartouches in frames adorn the façade. Around 1777, the palace briefly belonged to Jan Karel Špork, lending his name to the palace we know today. Late Baroque alterations followed around 1783. In the 1830s, the Association of Ladies for the Education of Orphans, later known as the Prague Association of Ladies of St. Notburga, acquired the palace. By the mid-19th century, it became the property of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St. Charles Borromeo, who adapted the garden wing into the Chapel of St. Notburga around 1880. The Congregation still owns Šporkův palác. A complete renovation of the complex took place between 1992 and 1996. This included the main building, the rear wing with the Chapel of St. Notburga, frescoes of the Madonna and St. Notburga, a courtyard, two gardens accessible from the hospital courtyard, and a sandstone statue of the Virgin Mary with Child from around 1880, relocated from a former garden pavilion. Now, as you stand before Šporkův palác, remember the curious story of its evolution. From a simple house to a grand palace, it echoes the artistic spirit and the enduring legacy of its inhabitants, including the skull-collecting count and the sisters who dedicated their lives to service.