Břevnov Monastery

Břevnov Monastery in Prague's Břevnov district is the oldest surviving men's monastery in the Czech Republic — a Benedictine community dedicated to St. Margaret, founded in 993.

Who founded it, and why this particular spot?

The monastery was established jointly by Duke Boleslaus II of Bohemia and Bishop Vojtěch of Prague, who later became a saint. The first monks came from the Bavarian abbey of Niederaltaich. According to medieval legend, the land chosen for the monastery was a marsh believed to be a mystical passage between the human world and the realm of demons — building a sacred community here was meant to symbolically seal that passage.

How did the monastery survive over a thousand years?

Břevnov's history has not been peaceful. In 1420, during the Hussite Wars, Taborite troops seriously damaged the buildings, forcing the monks to take refuge at the monastery in Broumov. Real recovery and expansion came only with the Baroque era. In the late 17th century, Abbot Tomáš Sartorius carried out the first Baroque rebuilding of the convent (1668–1672), and from 1708 construction resumed under architect Paul Ignaz Bayer, giving the complex much of the shape it retains today. The Dientzenhofers — Christoph and his son Kilian Ignaz, among the leading names of Czech Baroque architecture — later worked on the project, while painter Petr Brandl and sculptor Karl Josef Hiernle enriched the interiors. Building work continued until 1740.

The 20th century brought another dramatic chapter: in 1950 the communist government seized the monastery, and Abbot Anastáz Opasek was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned throughout the 1950s.

What can visitors see today?

At the heart of the complex stands the Baroque Basilica of St. Margaret, together with the adjoining convent and prelature. Beneath the church survives an 11th-century Romanesque crypt — one of the oldest pieces of sacred architecture in Prague, a physical trace of the site's pre-Baroque origins. Inside the prelature, the representative Theresian Hall is worth noting, while the monastery garden holds the Baroque Vojtěška pavilion. The entire complex — basilica, monastic buildings, and garden — is protected as a National Cultural Monument of the Czech Republic.

Where exactly is the monastery located?

The monastery sits in Prague's Břevnov district, at coordinates 50.084444, 14.356944.

Frequently asked questions

When was Břevnov Monastery founded? In 993, by Duke Boleslaus II and Bishop Vojtěch (Adalbert).

Is it really the oldest monastery in the Czech Republic? Yes — it's the oldest men's monastery on Czech territory; its first monks arrived from Niederaltaich Abbey in Bavaria.

Why does a medieval monastery look Baroque today? Because the original buildings were badly damaged during the Hussite Wars in 1420. The complex's current appearance comes from rebuilding carried out between the late 17th century and 1740, involving architects from the Dientzenhofer family.

What survives from the earliest, pre-Baroque phase of construction? An 11th-century Romanesque crypt beneath the Basilica of St. Margaret.