Thanks to the recent discovery of a mediaeval description of the Emmaus paintings, it is now possible to reconstruct the original scope of the cycle and to understand the ideas it presented. We now know that originally the paintings were not only in the cloister, but also in the adjoining chapel, and indeed that it was there that the most important scenes were to be found. The cycle was inspired by mediaeval writings which introduced their readers to the history of salvation with the help of texts and illustrations.
The basic principle was what was known as the typological method of biblical exegesis, in which prefigurations from the Old Testament were attached to events from the New Testament. The paintings in the cloister had a special purpose, which was evidently closely connected with the special position of this Slavonic monastery in the layout of the New Town district of Prague. They were clearly also connected with the feast of the Holy Lance and the Nails of Our Lord, which was regularly accompanied by a spectacular display of holy relics held in the nearby New Town market place.
Thus the Emmaus paintings, in addition to being a unique example of the painter’s art in Bohemia in the second half of the 14th century, also enable us to gain an insight into the cultural and spiritual atmosphere in Prague during the reign of Charles IV.