Emmaus Monastery, Prague, Czech Republic

The Emmaus monastery is an abbey established in 1347 in Prague. The area became the only Benedictine monastery of the Bohemian kingdom and all Slavic Europe.

In the 1360s, the Cloisters of the Monastery were decorated with a cycle of 85 wall Gothic paintings with parallels from the Old and New Testaments. The Gothic cloisters also feature original faded frescoes with bits of Pagan symbolism from the 14th century. The monastery was baroquized in the 17th-18th centuries and the two temple towers were added.

Charles IV gave to the just-founded monastery the manuscript Reims Gospel, it was probably lost from Prague in the time of the Hussite Wars, manuscript later became part of the Reims Cathedral treasury. The monastery became a center of culture and art, students of Cyril and Methodius studied there in addition to Jan Hus.

During the World War II the monastery was seized by the Gestapo and the monks were sent to Dachau concentration camp. The monastery building and vaults were destroyed by a U.S. bombing raid on Prague on 14 February 1945. The modern roof with steeples was added in the 1960s. It was returned to the Benedictine order in 1990, the monastery currently belongs to three monks, two of whom live there.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Victor Rosenberg (2 years ago)
Maybe it's obvious for Christians but the monastery is closed for visitors on Sundays. For some reason I cannot update the opening hours here, but they are 11:00 to 17:30 between May and October and 11:00 to 16:00 during the rest of the year.

Budimir Zvolanek (2 years ago)
One of the most historic places to visit in Prague, especially for Christians and Catholics experiencing Latin Mass in this Benedictine abbey Emperors Chapel. Highly recommended.

Daniel Saiz (2 years ago)
Very good, completely reconstructed.

Andrew Jacobs (3 years ago)
This was the best 60ckr I spent in Prague. Just the cloister was a magnificent place covered in paintings made hundreds of years ago. And then the various chapels and the repaired and renovated church were equally breathtaking. This place is so quiet too, slightly away from the main tourist centres. Well worth a visit if, like me, you're impressed by ecclesiastical architecture.

Wiliam Roberts (4 years ago)
Worth the money to go around, the paintings, though faded, are really interesting, as they put thought into the significance of every biblical scene. Also an interesting history of how it's changed hands over the years, and it's significance in establishing a language.

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