Memorial cross placed in the Denis Gardens in Brno

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, a large bronze cross was transported to Denis Gardens behind the presbytery of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Brno. It was made on the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Brno diocese and was erected on a field in Tuřany, where the Pope celebrated Mass for 120,000 people beneath it. Now, after almost two years, it was transported by a heavy Mi-8 helicopter. The transportation lasted about half an hour, and along with the cross, stone blocks from the Mračkovice granite for the hemispherical pedestal were also transported.
     The artistic and technical work, designed by architect Marek Štěpán, was created using contemporary technologies with a closed thin-walled stainless steel structure fully clad in bronze. This effectively combines the best technical and economic properties of both materials. Due to these mentioned properties, the structure is very lightweight, weighing less than one ton at a height of 12 m. The prototype of the structure was developed for use in the environment of National Cultural Monuments. The cross was made in Martin Janda's workshop in Osík near Litomyšl. The glass spheres that will be placed on it are the work of glassmakers from Novoborsko. The architectural and artistic stylization of the cross – a symbol of Christianity – is abstract. Both of its arms have an inward break in the shape of an X. The cross is without a corpus and is complemented by blown glass at the points of the nails. These symbolize the five wounds of Christ. The blown glass spheres also have a symbolic and rare color - red, achieved by adding gold to the glass. The spherical pedestal will resemble the Mount Golgotha.
     Interestingly, it was created at the last moment precisely to permanently commemorate the visit of Pope Benedict XIV and his message of hope in Brno.