DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18519018
title: Database of Prague Funerary Monuments 1500-1650

description: Overview

The dataset is an MS Excel database containing 586 records of sepulchral monuments – tombstones as well as stone and metal epitaphs – dating from 1500 to 1650 and located within the historical borders of Prague (Hradčany, Lesser Town, Old Town, and New Town). It includes both extant monuments and monuments that are no longer preserved but are reliably attested in secondary sources. The records are organised into 28 analytical categories that enable systematic classification of the monuments and support the study of their spatial, material, textual, and cultural characteristics, with particular emphasis on their role in the construction and expression of identity, including scholarly, social, gender, and religious identities.

 

Data Acquisition

Field research in situ, direct examination and documentation of monuments in their current locations, extraction from secondary sources including archival holdings and reports from art-historical surveys of monuments (see Sources List of the database), comparative analysis and supplementation with the Epigraphic Database created and maintained by the Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences. 

 

General Description and Processing of the data

The dataset documents early modern sepulchral monuments in Prague through a structured set of descriptive and analytical fields that progress from the monument’s spatial and physical context to information about the commemorated individual(s) and the epigraphic content of the inscription. It captures the original placement of monuments within churches or monastic buildings, their form and materiality, and their current state of preservation, alongside personal data such as names, occupations, social status, and dates of death. Where the date of monument creation is unknown, chronological interpretation relies on the widely accepted assumption in sepulchral and epigraphic studies that funerary monuments were typically commissioned shortly after the death of the commemorated individual.

A central component of the dataset is the transcription and basic analysis of inscription texts, usually in Latin, German, or Czech. While full standardisation of inscription transcription was not the primary aim of the current dataset version, most texts follow established epigraphic conventions derived from the methodology of Die Deutschen Inschriften, including the treatment of abbreviations, lacunae, and restored text. The dataset further records script type, language, and selected epigraphic motifs – such as dedications, appeals to the passer-by, and expressions of faith – along with formal classifications of monument type (e.g. figural, emblematic, architectonic, or inscriptional). Together, these data allow for comparative analysis of funerary practices and memorial strategies in early modern Prague and provide a foundation for future refinement and standardisation in subsequent dataset versions.



ID: Unique record identifier, three-digit format (e.g., 001–592), indexed by the creator.

Place: Name of the Prague locality (usually a church or monastery), where the monument was or is located. The name of the place is standardized by usus used in Historické památky Prahy edition, academic topography of Prague. 

Street: Current (2025) name of the Street where the monument was/is located. Standardized by the Historické památky Prahy with correction in the case of the church of St. Henry and Cunigunde by the official webside of the parish https://www.svatyjindrich.cz/ 

Wikidata code: Reference to the corresponding Wikidata entity for the location, if available.

Placement: Exact or approximate placement of the monument within the place (e.g., wall, floor, chapel).

Name: Full name of the person(s) commemorated. If the person's name is known in the historiography, a modern or standardized form of the name is used. If not, the name in the inscription is used with regard to the current Czech grammar (f. ex. Girzik – Jiřík). When in doubt, the name is left exactly as in the inscription form. 

Occupation: Profession, social status, or title of the person(s). Rendered either from known historiographical sources or the tombstone inscription. If possible, compared with the database of http://documenta.rudolphina.com/

Date of the Monument: Year or date when the monument was created or installed. As these dates are usually unknown, the category is complemented by the Death Date, which is stated in the inscription more often. The interpretation link between “Date of the Monument” and “Death Date” lies in the assumption – widely used in epigraphic and sepulchral studies – that the creation or installation of a funerary monument usually follows the death of the commemorated individual very closely.  

Death date: The year or exact date of death of the commemorated individual. This information is taken either directly from the inscription or from external sources—most commonly prosopographic and topographic references such as Documenta Rudolphina, Podlaha 1906, Navrátil 1861, 1869, 1877, and Urbanová–Remešová 1925 (see the Sources list)

If the monument uses the term “pohřeb” (“funeral”), which in Early Czech may refer either to the burial place or to the tombstone itself, see: https://vokabular.ujc.cas.cz/hledani.aspx , the date is determined according to the overall textual context of the inscription.

Text: Original inscription text (usually Latin, German, or Czech). At present, this field has not been fully standardised, as it was not the primary focus of the dataset in its current version. The standardisation of inscription transcription is planned for a future release.

In most cases, the transcription follows the epigraphic methodology developed by Jiří Roháček, based on the principles of Die Deutschen Inschriften. The main methodological rules include the following:



(abc) expansion of abbreviations – d(omi)n(u)s 

 [...] approximate number of lost letters is indicated by dots – d[...]aus 

[---] approximate number of lost letters cannot be determined, or a part of the inscription is missing – ve[---]aus 

[abc] lost text that can be restored based on context – d[omi]nus 

[abc]a lost text that can be restored based on another source (secondary preservation) 

< … > intentionally left blank space

/ end of line 

= / = original word-dividing marks of any form

 



In some fields, abbreviations are expanded, while in others they are retained in their original abbreviated form. This reflects an intentional pilot approach aimed at testing both transcription strategies. Full unification was therefore postponed to a later version of the dataset, as implementing it at this stage would have required a disproportionate investment of time without significantly affecting the current research goals.

Script: Type of script used in the inscription (e.g., Roman capitals, Gothic minuscule, Fraktur).

Language: Language of the inscription, usually Czech, Latin, German and /or their combination. 

Dedication: Boolean indicator (True/False) Whether or not the inscription form contains dedication phrases or invocations. Important for tracking family and / or social network and relations. 

Appeal to Passer-by: Boolean indicator (True/False) Epigraphic motif directly addressing the reader or passer-by. Relevant for evaluating the monument’s confessional background.

Articulation of Faith: Boolean indicator (True/False) Expressions of religious belief within the text. Important for evaluating the monument’s confessional background.

Child monument: Boolean indicator (True/False) identifying a monument dedicated to a child.

Female monument: Boolean indicator (True/False) for monuments commemorating women.

Couple monument: Boolean indicator (True/False) for joint monuments of spouses.

Family monument: Boolean indicator (True/False) for collective/family monuments.

Figural monument: Boolean indicator (True/False) for monuments featuring human figures.

Emblematic Monument: Boolean indicator (True/False) for monuments with using emblems instead of figure, mainly coats of arms, or symbolic imagery.

Architectonic: Boolean indicator (True/False) for architecturally designed monuments.

Simple Inscripitional Board: Boolean indicator (True/False) for simple text-only inscription tablets.

Epitaph: Boolean indicator (True/False) for monuments classified as epitaphs, meaning funerary art without direct relation to the burial place. 

Material and colour: Material description (e.g., sandstone, marble, bronze) and colour characteristics.

Surviving: Boolean indicator (True/False) Condition status — whether the monument survives or is lost (attested in secondary sources).

Additional Sources: Bibliographic or archival references documenting the monument mention sorted alphabetically in abbreviated form – see the Sources sheet. 

Note: Free-text notes providing additional context.


Purpose of data collection: Auxiliary documentation for dissertation thesis in history named Nad hrobem mrtvého památku učiň! Hmontá funerální kultura raného novověku na příkladu Prahy by Eva Jarošová. Defended at Charles University in 2024.