The Plasy Monastery was founded in 1144 by Duke Vladislav II as one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Bohemia. Monks from the Franconian Langheim settled Plasy. During the Hussites Wars in the first half of the 15th century buildings of the abbey were burnt out and almost all the goods were subsequently taken.
The monastery experienced a second period of prosperity after the Thirty Years‘ War: the baroque new buildings of the monastery, the large foursided courtyards and the pilgrimage church of Marianske Tynice are still characteristic of the landscape today – as are extensive agricultural areas for grain and fruit cultivation.
In 1826, the monastery building with the whole estate was purchased by Klemens von Metternich, who is buried in the Church of Saint Wenceslaus in the family tomb.
The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and wall structure of the church date back to the 340s, and much of the structure to 1140-43. The first sanctuary was built in 221 and 227 by Pope Callixtus I and later completed by Pope Julius I.
The inscription on the episcopal throne states that this is the first church in Rome dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, although some claim that privilege belongs to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. A Christian house-church was founded here about 220 by Pope Saint Callixtus I (217-222) on the site of the Taberna meritoria, a refuge for retired soldiers. The area was made available for Christian use by Emperor Alexander Severus when he settled a dispute between the Christians and tavern-keepers.
The church underwent two restorations in the fifth and eighth centuries and in 1140-43 it was re-erected on its old foundations under Pope Innocent II.