Strahov Monastery and Library

DATE OF VISIT: 2nd April 2024

COMMENTS

Strahov Monastery is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1143 by Jindřích Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia. The abbey is located in the Strahov area of Prague and its situation allows for commanding views over the city and the Petřín Park.

There are a number of ways to travel to the abbey and by far the cheapest and most direct route is to take the #22 tram from Malá Stranská, (the tram stop located outside of Mala Stranská Metro station where trams stop before continuing either by turning right parallel to the river, or to proceed up the hill towards the castle). If you alight from the tram at the stop Pohořelec, (which is a stop after the stop for the castle), you will be within less than a five minute walk from the abbey. Following your visit, and if the weather is nice, I recommend that you walk down the hill passing lots of quaint shops, cafés and restaurants, and you will eventually arrive Mala Stranské Square and easy access to the Charles Bridge.

How the Monastery was founded

Following his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in 1138, the then Bishop of Olomouc, Jindřích Zdík, decided to create a monastery of regular church Canons in Prague. His idea was supported by the Bishops of Prague and the then Duke of Bohemia, Soběslav I, and following his death, Vladislav II. After Zdík's first attempt to found a Czech variant of the Canon's Order ended in failure at the place called Strahov in 1140, an invitation was issued to the Premonstratensians, whose first representatives arrived from Steinfeld in the Rhine valley.

The monks began to build their monastery first of wood, with a Romanesque basilica as the centre of all spiritual events in Strahov. The building was gradually completed and the construction of the monastery stone buildings continued, in order to replace the provisional wooden living quarters with permanent stone. In 1258, the monastery was heavily damaged by fire and later renewed.

For the history of the monastery during the Hussite and 30 years wars, please see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strahov_Monastery

THE THEOLOGICAL HALL (Courtesy of Wikipedia with some amendments/additons)

In 1670 Jeroným Hirnheim, a philosopher and theologian, became the abbot of Strahov. His greatest work, which has survived to the present day, was the building of a new library in the aptly named Theological Hall. A Praguer, (resident of Prague), of Italian descent, Giovanni Domenico Orsi was appointed as the architect, whose Italian training is clearly evident in the stucco cartouche work within the library.

The library was completed in 1679. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, other abbots continued in the reconstruction of the monastery. They also cared for the church, (Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at Strahov), which was repaired and decorated several times during the given period. The monastery experienced other significant building activity, namely after the assaults of French and Bavarian troops in 1742, when Prague was bombarded and seriously damaged. The abbot then organised building efforts anew, in the course of which the church was rebuilt along with the monastery area.

After 1950, the library was incorporated into the Memorial of National Literature. Following the Velvet Revolution in 1989 the library was, along with the monastery, returned to the Premonstratensians. Within the library, there is also a Reading Room.

The Strahov Library in total contains over 200,000 volumes, including over 3,000 manuscripts and 1,500 first prints stored in a special depository.

In the central part of the Hall stand a number of globes, both terrestrial and astronomical. The most valuable of these globes was produced in the workshop of the famous Blaeu family of Rotterdam.

THE PHILOSOPHICAL HALL (Courtesy of Wikipedia with some amendments/additions)

In 1779 Václav Mayer was the incumbent Abbot and was the last to carry out significant  building activities at the monastery. His most outstanding work was the building of the new library, in a classic style. Today the library is named the Philosophical Hall. This work brought the extensive building activity at Strahov Monastery to an end and the following generations of abbots devoted their attention merely to minor architectural repairs, all under the influence of contemporary fashion, and to maintenance of the area as a whole.

The architect responsible for the Philosophical Hall was a naturalised Italian architect by the name of Johann Ignaz Palliani. The library is constructed on the site of what used to be a granary.

The Philosophical Hall acquire its name not only from the ceiling painting which depicts the "Spiritual Development of Mankind" (the development of religion and science), but also from the contents of the books which are stored in the library. Apart from Philosophy which originally included all Sciences, there are also works from the fields of philology; law; natural sciences and history and the total number of books is more than 50,000 within the Philosophical Hall. 

Between 2009 and 2010, the Philosophical Hall was completely restored to its present condition.

PLEASE NOTE

It is important to note that in keeping with many such attractions around the world, entry to both the Philosophical Hall  and the Theological Hall is forbidden. Both Halls can only be viewed from the doorway, but this does not detract from their beauty or interest. However, the area for viewing is not large and so I would recommend that the best time of viewing is at 9am before the rush!

PLACES TO SEE

• Strahov library comprising the Philosophical Hall and the Theological Hall
• Strahov Monastery
• The Monastery Church - Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at Strahov
• Views of Prague from the monastery

PLACES TO EAT & DRINK

Within the grounds of the Monastery, you can enjoy beer brewed by the Strahov Monastery, Nobert Dark and SV Nobert IPA are both recommended. In addition Kafe U Zelenych Kamen, a cafe within the grounds of the Monastery, (located immediately on the left on entering), provides coffee and tasty snacks.

LINKS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strahov_Monastery