Velehrad: The Cistercian Monastery with the Basilica of St. Cyril and St. Methodius
Velehrad is one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in Moravia. It is connected with the seat of Moravian rulers and with the place from which Christianity spread on the paths of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the neighborhood of Velehrad, there used to be the metropolitan church of St. Methodius, which was where he was buried. Unfortunately, Hungarian raids destroyed many Great Moravian habitations of that time, so it is difficult to specify the exact site of the cathedral or the grave. The cult of the Slavonic apostles, who are the patrons of Europe together with St. Benedictus, makes Velehrad a place of great importance even beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.
Velehrad dates to the early 13th century, when the Moravian count Vladislav Jindrich, together with Saints Cyril and Methodius his brother King Premysl Otakar I, founded the first Cistercian monastery in Moravia. The first twelve Cistercians came to Velehrad in 1205 from Czech Plasy.
In the mid-13th century, construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the monastery in Romanesque-Gothic style was completed. The cathedral was a grand five-nave basilica. At 100 meters in length, it was the largest church in the Czech lands. The remains of the basilica have been preserved; on the eastern wall of the cathedral three out of five apses remain. A beautiful Romanesque frieze decorates the main apse and in the lapidary below the recent building, the Romanesque bases of the church are accessible.
In the 15th century, the Hussites burned down the monastery. In the following centuries it was rebuilt several times and at the turn of the 18th century it got its present-day look. The architect of the Baroque reconstruction is unknown, as are the artists who decorated the interior. Based on its style it has been attributed to Giovanni Pietro Tencalli. The sizeable Baroque facade complemented a pair of towers and a two-meter layer raises the floor of the cathedral.
In the period of the religious reforms of Joseph II, the Cistercian monastery was abolished and the famous basilica became a lowly village church. The church began to fall apart; the capitulary hall, decorated with marble columns, was used as a stable.
In connection with the millennium commemoration of Cyril and Methodius´s mission to Moravia in the second half of the 19th century, Velehrad was revived. In 1890, the Jesuits came to Velehrad. They have stayed there ever since, with the exception of the 40 years of communism, when the monastery was abolished. In 1927, Pope Pius IX upgraded the significance of Velehrad and gave the title “basilica minor” to the cathedral. In 1985, during the 1,100-year anniversary of St.Methodius' death, Pope John Paul II donated the Golden Rose to the basilica (only a few cathedrals all over the world have received this honor).
During his first visit to Czechoslovakia in 1990, the pope visited this place.
Velehrad is one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in Moravia. It is connected with the seat of Moravian rulers and with the place from which Christianity spread on the paths of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the neighborhood of Velehrad, there used to be the metropolitan church of St. Methodius, which was where he was buried. Unfortunately, Hungarian raids destroyed many Great Moravian habitations of that time, so it is difficult to specify the exact site of the cathedral or the grave. The cult of the Slavonic apostles, who are the patrons of Europe together with St. Benedictus, makes Velehrad a place of great importance even beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.
Velehrad dates to the early 13th century, when the Moravian count Vladislav Jindrich, together with Saints Cyril and Methodius his brother King Premysl Otakar I, founded the first Cistercian monastery in Moravia. The first twelve Cistercians came to Velehrad in 1205 from Czech Plasy.
In the mid-13th century, construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the monastery in Romanesque-Gothic style was completed. The cathedral was a grand five-nave basilica. At 100 meters in length, it was the largest church in the Czech lands. The remains of the basilica have been preserved; on the eastern wall of the cathedral three out of five apses remain. A beautiful Romanesque frieze decorates the main apse and in the lapidary below the recent building, the Romanesque bases of the church are accessible.
In the 15th century, the Hussites burned down the monastery. In the following centuries it was rebuilt several times and at the turn of the 18th century it got its present-day look. The architect of the Baroque reconstruction is unknown, as are the artists who decorated the interior. Based on its style it has been attributed to Giovanni Pietro Tencalli. The sizeable Baroque facade complemented a pair of towers and a two-meter layer raises the floor of the cathedral.
In the period of the religious reforms of Joseph II, the Cistercian monastery was abolished and the famous basilica became a lowly village church. The church began to fall apart; the capitulary hall, decorated with marble columns, was used as a stable.
In connection with the millennium commemoration of Cyril and Methodius´s mission to Moravia in the second half of the 19th century, Velehrad was revived. In 1890, the Jesuits came to Velehrad. They have stayed there ever since, with the exception of the 40 years of communism, when the monastery was abolished. In 1927, Pope Pius IX upgraded the significance of Velehrad and gave the title “basilica minor” to the cathedral. In 1985, during the 1,100-year anniversary of St.Methodius' death, Pope John Paul II donated the Golden Rose to the basilica (only a few cathedrals all over the world have received this honor).
During his first visit to Czechoslovakia in 1990, the pope visited this place.
posted by projektový team | 5:27 PM
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