Rajhrad Abbey (; ) is a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey in

Rajhrad Rajhrad () is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,100 inhabitants. Geography Rajhrad is located about south of Brno. It lies in the Dyje–Svratka Valley. The town is situated on the ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It was founded by Duke

Bretislav I Bretislav I (; 1002/1005 – 10 January 1055), known as the "Bohemian Achilles", of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1034 until his death in 1055. Youth Bretislav was the son of Duke Oldřich and his low-born concubine Božena. ...

in 1045. It was the first Benedictine male monastery in the country and first historically mentioned monastery in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

Location

The abbey is located in

in the

, about south of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. It lies in the

Dyje–Svratka Valley The Dyje–Svratka Valley () is a valley and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Moravian Region. Its name is derived from the rivers Thaya (Dyje) and Svratka. Geomorphology The Dyje–Svratka Valley ...

and is situated on the left bank of the Svratka River. The town of Rajhrad grew around the monastery. The Museum of Literature in Moravia with a rich and valuable library is located in the monastery buildings.

History

The monastery was founded in 1045 by Moravian and later Bohemian Duke

. Originally was established filial monastery of Břevnov Abbey in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, in fact as a

chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

type of community. The monastery was founded in the place of an ancient settlement and in the neighborhood of the Great Moravian gord. In these contexts, the possibility of an older

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

(monk) tradition from the time of Great Moravia, i.e. almost 200 years older, is occasionally discussed. But clear evidence has not yet been found. The first Romanesque buildings were built with some delay from the beginning. The monastery owned several villages and other properties. It was looted several times in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and was restored again. In the 18th century, during the powerful renewal of the Catholic confession, the monastery was in good condition and was generously rebuilt in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

. In particular, the convent church, designed by architect

Jan Santini Aichel Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, also spelled Aichl (, ; 3 February 1677 – 7 December 1723) was a Czechs, Czech architect of Italians, Italian descent, whose major works are representative of the unique Czech Baroque architecture#Baroque G ...

, is an excellent example of European Baroque architecture. The foundation stone of today's monastery church of St. Peter and Paul was laid on 4 July 1722. Construction took 17 years. The temple was re-consecrated on 7 June 1739 by the Prince-Bishop Jakob Ernst von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn.

Architecture

The nave is elongated, as it responds to the older medieval layout. It has a traditional orientation (west-east) and is divided into three semi-autonomous halls, spatially and optically continuous. each of the halls has its own vault system and geometry. Vaults and walls are covered with Baroque

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es by the painter Johann Georg Etgens of Brno.

Gallery

Rajhrad - benediktinský klášter, pohled od jihu.jpg, View from the south Rajhrad - klášter, západní křídlo.jpg, Western wing Rajhrad - benediktinský klášter, hlavní kostelní průčelí.jpg, Front view of the church Wikiměsto Hustopeče 20150509 Rajhrad 3890.jpg, Exhibition showing history of the monastery Historický sál knihovny.jpg, Library Rajhrad - benediktinský klášter, křížová chodba obr01.jpg, Cloister Rajhrad - Památník písemnictví na Moravě, obr03.jpg, Museum of Literature in Moravia Rajhrad - Klášterní taverna.jpg, Monastery inn

References

External links