Jindřich Zdík (also anglicized as ''Henry Zdík''; – 1150 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

) was a Czech bishop and diplomat. He served as bishop of Olomouc from 1126 to 1150. He was a promoter of church reforms and is considered one of the most educated Czechs of his time.

Biography

Jindřich Zdík was born in . He was probably the son of the chronicler Cosmas of Prague. He he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1137–1138. While he was there, Rorgo Fretellus of Nazareth dedicated to him his ''Description of the Holy Places''. Benjamin Z. Kedar (2000), "Fretellus", in John Block Friedman and Kristen Mossler Figg, eds., ''Trade, Travel and Exploration in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia'' (London and New York: Routledge), p. 202. A deed of Jindřich Zdík from 1141 (originally erroneously dated to 1131), in which he transfers his seat to the newly built Saint Wenceslas Cathedral and lists the estates of the Roman Catholic Church in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

, is an important and valuable historical document, which is for many Moravian villages and towns the first written mention of the settlement. In 1141, with papal authorization, Zdík undertook a mission against the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

ns, leading directly to his involvement with the Wendish Crusade of 1147. Helmolt, H. F., ''The World's History: South-eastern and eastern Europe'' (

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

: W. Heinemann Ltd, 1907), p. 239. After 1141, Zdík has built the Bishop Zdík's Palace in

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

. Today it is the only preserved Romanesque building in the city. After returning from his pilgrimage he had the idea of founding a monastery of regular canons in Prague, which would materialize as Strahov Monastery. Zdík had the support of the bishops of Prague, the Duke of Bohemia Soběslav I, and — after his death — Vladislav II. After Zdík's first unsuccessful attempt to found a Czech variant of the canons' order at the place called Strahov in 1140, an invitation was issued to the

Premonstratensians The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in United Kingdom, Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their religious habit, habit), is a religious order of cano ...

, whose first representatives arrived from Steinfeld in the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

valley (

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

). Hildebert and Everwin, two medieval manuscript illuminators, worked in the scriptorium under Bishop Zdík.

References

External links

List of towns and villages in the Jindřich Zdík's deed
at website of the municipality of Bělov {{DEFAULTSORT:Zdik, Jindrich 1080s births 1150 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Olomouc