Plasy Monastery

Plasy Monastery, located in the town of Plasy in the Plzeň-North district of the Czech Republic, is a former Cistercian monastery famous for the extraordinary foundation solution designed by architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel.

When was Plasy Monastery founded?

The monastery was founded in 1144 and is considered the first royal Cistercian monastery in Bohemia. Over the centuries the complex was expanded repeatedly, and its present appearance largely dates back to an 18th-century reconstruction.

What role did Jan Santini Aichel play in rebuilding the monastery?

Under Abbot Tyttl, the building development of the Plasy estate was entrusted to architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, who worked for the monastery from at least 1707 until his death in 1723. The reconstruction based on his plans continued from 1711 to 1740, resulting in a distinctive blend of Baroque and Gothic forms, a style sometimes described as "Gothic-Baroque."

Why are the foundations of Plasy Monastery so unusual?

The monastery stands on marshy, waterlogged ground in a meander of the Střela River, which posed a serious engineering challenge. To reinforce the ground beneath the building, Santini had as many as 5,100 oak piles driven into the earth. A wooden grillage was laid on top of the piles, and only then was the masonry built above it. The key to this solution was a system that channels water into the foundations: wood that remains permanently submerged, without access to air, does not rot and can survive in such conditions for centuries. An elaborate water system draws water from the nearby Střela River and from the marshy soil of its meander, keeping the monastery's foundations irrigated to this day.

What else is notable about Plasy Monastery?

This unusual method of building on water has made Plasy Monastery an example of what is sometimes called Santini's "art of building on water" — a solution rarely seen in sacred architecture of the period and one of the architect's most remarkable engineering achievements. Santini is best known for his Baroque-Gothic churches and monasteries across Bohemia.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Plasy Monastery located? The monastery is located in the town of Plasy, in the Plzeň-North district in western Bohemia, Czech Republic.

Who designed the monastery's reconstruction? The Baroque-Gothic reconstruction was designed by architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, who worked for the monastery from around 1707 until his death in 1723.

Why were the foundations built on oak piles? Because the monastery stands on marshy ground in a meander of the Střela River — driving thousands of oak piles into the ground and keeping them permanently submerged in water prevents the wood from rotting and stabilizes the entire structure.

When was Plasy Monastery founded? The monastery was founded in 1144 as the first royal Cistercian monastery in Bohemia.