"Tiché kázání" : fresková výzdoba v Sümegu jako společné dílo biskupa a malíře

This study investigates the genesis of the fresco cycle in the Parish Church of Sümeg, with a particular focus on the collaboration between Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724–1796) and Bishop Márton Biró Padányi (1693–1762). Author emphasizes that, instead of attempting to discern the "hands" of workshop members, the frescoes should be interpreted as a unified, conceptually well-thought-out work of art. The entire painted decoration of the church – including the ceiling paintings, altarpieces, and over thirty portraits on the organ loft – is the joint creation of the commissioning bishop and the virtuoso painter. Special attention is given to the altarpiece Adoration of the Shepherds, which features two images of Jesus. This unusual solution is interpreted not as an error, but as a theological message highlighting Christ's dual nature. An analysis of the inscriptions on the frescoes, as well as the bishop's sermons and the chronostichs found in the church, reveals that Bishop Biró shaped the church into his own "silent sermon". The community at prayer, depicted on the choir loft, including the bishop and the painter, join the heavenly liturgy as members of the "earthly church".