Teplá Abbey is a Premonstratensian abbey in the western part of Bohemia, included in the Archdiocese of Prague. It was founded in 1193 by the blessed Hroznata, a Bohemian nobleman (d. 1217). The first monks came from the Abbey of Strahov in Prague.
The present monastery building was erected by Abbot Raimund Wilfert II (1688-1724); the library was built by Abbot Gilbert Helmer (since 1900). The Romanesque church, with additions in the style of the transition to the Gothic, is one of the oldest churches of Bohemia. The high altar of the church was sculpted by Josef Lauermann and Ignatius Platzer in 1750. After Hroznata was beatified in 1897, his reliquary casket was moved to the apse of the church for display. The original burial place of Hroznata is marked by on the floor before the main altar, where his original sarcophagus also stands.
Plenteous monastery activity is shown in the literature that is defined by its rich collection of prints of different nature in the monastic library.
The historical centre of Briançon is a strongly fortified town, built by Vauban to defend the region from Austrians in the 17th century. Its streets are very steep and narrow, though picturesque. Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the Col de Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, so a great number of other fortifications have been constructed on the surrounding heights, especially towards the east.
The Savoyards made two raids into French territory in 1691 and 1692. As a result, Vauban was dispatched to inspect the frontier defences, which had been ill-equiped to deal with the attack from Savoy. He returned to the area in 1700 to check on the progress that had been made since his first visit. When Vauban visited Briançon, work on the defences had already started under a local engineer, Monsieur d"Angrogne in 1692.