Since studying the book of Revelation has been our focus for this month, I mentioned on Sunday that I’d seen this special room during my April-May trip to the Czech Republic. For a few days, the group visited the town of Slavonice in the Moravian area. Just down the street from our little hotel, we were shown a house built in 1550 and considered one of the most important buildings in town. Facing the main square, it was used as an inn and had a tavern on the lower floor.

After the ban on Protestant services in the parish church on the square, Lutheran prayer services were held on an upper floor of the building. It was probably a “multifunctional” space. Local Lutherans were in the majority in Slavonice during the Reformation, yet it is thought that the Catholic nobility of the town nearby had a hand in the ban on using the Parish Church. One account said that the Lutheran Pastor lived in the house and loaned the space for prayer meetings.

The cycle of twenty-one wall paintings was painted in 1568 by an unknown artist and as a whole, expresses the story of the “Revelation of St. John.” The paintings have been restored. The last 2-3 panels were painted at a later date, with inferior technique. Note the dragon with the papal crown. Interesting depiction, given the 150 years of Protestant persecution of that time.

- Linda Young