Možnosti identifikace ostatků lékaře Jana Františka Löwa z Erlsfeldu (1648–1725) a jeho rodiny v kryptě kostela Panny Marie Vítězné a svatého Antonína Paduánského na Malé Straně v Praze

Pages	13–54
DOI	10.37520/jnmpnhs.2025.003
Keywords	Baroque, medicine, Charles University, crypt, altar, exhumation, osteobiographic profile
Citation	CVRČEK, Jan, TRNKA, Ján, ČESÁKOVÁ, Markéta, DUDA, Josef, DOBISÍKOVÁ, Miluše, KUŽELKA, Vítězslav, GROSSOVÁ, Iva a VELEMÍNSKÝ, Petr. Možnosti identifikace ostatků lékaře Jana Františka Löwa z Erlsfeldu (1648–1725) a jeho rodiny v kryptě kostela Panny Marie Vítězné a svatého Antonína Paduánského na Malé Straně v Praze. Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series. Prague: National Museum, 2025, 194(1), 13–54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/jnmpnhs.2025.003. ISSN 1802-6842 (print), 1802-6850 (electronic). Also available from: https://www.nm.cz/en/periodicals/journal-of-the-national-museum-prague-natural-history-series/194-1/moznosti-identifikace-ostatku-lekare-jana-frantiska-lowa-z-erlsfeldu-16481725-a-jeho-rodiny-v-krypte-kostela-panny-marie-vitezne-a-svateho-antonina-paduanskeho-na-male-strane-v-praze

Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series | 2025/194/1

Physician and lawyer John Francis Löw of Erlsfeld (1648–1725) is one of the most important Czech Baroque personalities. Among other things, he was personal physician to Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (1640–1705), four-times rector of Charles University and eight-times dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Based on the Theatrum medico-judicorum, he is recognized as the prominent representative of forensic medicine in Central Europe. In 1971, during the first phase of the clearence of the catacombs of the Church of Our Lady Victorious and Saint Anthony of Padua in Prague’s Lesser Town, Prof. Emanuel Vlček (1925–2006) attempted to identify his remains, but was unsuccessful. Advances in processing archival funds and their digitization have now made it possible to reinvestigate his burial. An osteodemographic revision of remains from the church catacombs was carried out, on the basis of which the skeleton of a male over 70 years old was identified, whose location corresponds to that where Löw wished to be buried, with right lower limb pathology corresponding to an entry in his personal diary. Cranial anatomical features of this individual also correspond to known portraits of John Francis Löw of Erlsfeld.

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