Prof. PhDr. Petr Sommer, CSc., DSc.

In 1973 he successfully completed his studies in archeology and history at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, where in 1977 he defended his dissertation and in 1983 his Ph.D. dissertation, both on the topic of monastic architecture. In 2001, he received his habilitation again at Faculty of Arts on the basis of work on the spiritual culture of early medieval Bohemia. In 2006 he successfully passed the professorship procedure at Charles University, in 2007 he was appointed professor of Charles University for the field of art history. In 2008, he successfully passed the procedure for awarding the scientific degree of Research Professor (Res. Prof.) (awarded on 12 February 2009 by the Science Council of the CAS).

He has worked at the Institute of Archeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Prague, since 1982 as a scientific secretary, and since 1987 as a deputy director. From 1993 to 1999 he was the director of the same institute. Since 1999 he has worked as the Deputy Director of the Center for Medieval Studies of the CAS and Charles University in Prague at the Institute of Philosophy of the CAS, in the years 2004–2019 as its director.

He is thematically focused on the field of church archeology and medieval spiritual culture. He carried out large field research of medieval monasteries in Prague in Strahov, Beroun, Sázava, etc., collaborated on research of monasteries in Ostrov by Davle and in Prague-Břevnov. He carried out a number of other smaller field events in the grounds of medieval monasteries and churches. He has published a number of papers on the results at home and abroad. Since 1990 he has been lecturing on ecclesiastical archeology at the Institute of Archeology and at the Institute of Art History at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, in Prague.