Invitation to the grand opening of the new permanent exhibition
15.07.2021
We invite you to the grand opening of the permanent exhibition dedicated to Václav Drbola, on Sunday the 15th of August 2021, on the 70th anniversary of Václav Drbola's death.
On this occasion, thanks to the PAMĚŤ Civic Association, a traveling exhibition containing 3 parts is installed in the church. Two parts were prepared by the Brno Diocese, dedicated to Priests Václav Drbola and Jan Bula, and the third part was created by the PAMĚŤ Civic Association describing events in Babice.
The opening will begin at 2:30 pm, with a discussion with authors Miroslav Kasáček and Luďek Navara from the PAMĚŤ Civic Association.
Invitation with the programme
The exhibition in the hall of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is created by an architect Jan Říčný in cooperation with the PAMĚŤ Civic Association and presents the life, death and legacy of Václav Drbola, a victim of the communist regime.
Václav Drbola was born on the 16th of October 1912 in Starovičky near Hustopeče. In his youth he decided to become a priest and studied theology in Brno. After his ordination to the priesthood, he joined the service in Slavkov u Brna in September 1938, at the beginning of World War II he was sent to Čučice and from 1943 he worked as a chaplain in Bučovice, which became his longest position.
His ministry also included religious education and other activities aimed at shaping children and youth. Especially after the end of the war, he actively participated in federal and cultural events in the Catholic House, where the Association of Catholic Companions and the Unity of the Eagle were based. For example, he organized theater performances and feasts. His hobby was also collecting paintings.
After the communist coup in February 1948, Václav Drbola was considered an uncomfortable person for his work in associations and public reading of the episcopal circular, which informed about the anti-church measures of the government.
In March 1950 Drbola was suddenly transfered to Babice in the Třebíč region and as a local priest he was arrested for "anti-state activities". Drbola's priestly office in Babice ended with his arrest in June 1951. Two weeks later, the news of the so-called Babice case (the murder of three officials of the national committee) shook the whole of Czechoslovakia. The triple murder was used to illegally convict Václav Drbola. There was no investigation of the crime. The crime in Babice was also used by the regime to bring uncomfortable people - priests, private farmers and tradesmen – to the trial as accomplices. A series of staged trials resulted in 11 death sentences. Vaclav Drbola was convicted of alleged high treason and instructions for murder (an act committed two weeks after his arrest). He was executed in the early morning hours of August 3, 1951. Václav Drbola's judicial rehabilitation took place in 1990-1997. In September 2011, the process of his beatification was started in Bučovice.
The permanent exhibition in the church in Bučovice is to serve as a memorial that will spread awareness of Václav Drbola and the persecution of the Catholic Church by the communist regime.
The creation of a permanent exhibition in the church in Bučovice and its grand opening is part of the project "Organ restoration and revitalization of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Bučovice" funded by the EEA Grants 2014-2021.
Information on the EEA and Norway Grants
Information for the participants
Photo documentation and video recording of the event will be made and then used for the purposes of promotion and presentation of the event/project/EEA Grants on websites/social media and on promo materials.
By participating in the event, you agree to the acquisition of photo documentation and video recording of the event.
The action will take place in compliance with current anti-epidemic measures.