Jiří Urban is a goldsmith from Turnov and also a painter. He became known for exact copies of imperial and royal insignia, some of which, for example copies of the Crown of St. Stephen and the Napoleonic crown, have been displayed by the Museum of the Bohemian Paradise in Turnov [1][2].
On commission from the Stará Boleslav chapter he designed, and for two years made, a reliquary of St. Wenceslas in the form of the saint's chest and head. It is over seventy centimetres tall, used eight kilograms of silver, and is decorated with gilding, Czech garnets and gemstones, including jasper, lapis lazuli and agate. A relic of St. Wenceslas, part of a bone, is placed in the clasp on the chest. According to Urban, the inspiration was the reliquary of Charlemagne in Aachen, and the guide for the saint's appearance was the face by Peter Parler in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague [1][2].
The sculptor Petr Vogel, who modelled the saint's face, Josef Syrový, who cast the individual parts in his workshop in Přepeře, and the Jablonec jeweller Vladimír Komňacký, who helped finish the details, also took part in the work [1][2]. Of the challenge Urban said that it was unexpected, that he felt fear and respect, but also inner euphoria at the chance to work on it [2].
From 29 October to 29 November 2026 the reliquary is displayed at the Museum of the Bohemian Paradise in Turnov and is then to be permanently installed on the main altar of the basilica in Stará Boleslav [1].
Chronology
- — The Museum of the Bohemian Paradise in Turnov will display from 29 October to 29 November 2026 a new reliquary of St. Wenceslas, an eight-kilogram jewel of silver and precious stones by the goldsmith Jiří Urban. → Liberecká Drbna Český rozhlas Liberec