The Strahov Monastery, built in 1140, is best known for its magnificent library which contains a collection of over 200,000 books.
In 1140 King Vladislav II built a new monastery on the
approach route to the
Prague
Castle. The monastery, which became known as the
Strahov monastery wasn't much of a success until 1143,
when a group of Premonstratensians settled here.
The Premonstratensians are a Roman Catholic order of
canons founded in 1120 by St. Norbert. They are also
known as the Norbertians or White Canons.
The new monastery soon started to prosper
and in a short timeframe it became a center of intellectual
and spiritual life.
By the end of the 12th century,
most of the original wooden buildings had been replaced
by stone Romanesque buildings. The monastery was rebuilt
in gothic style after a fire destroyed the complex in
1258. It continued to prosper until 1420 when it was
plundered by Hussites.
The monastery started to decline
until the end of the 16th century, when most of the
buildings were repaired. It was plundered and sacked
again during the 30 years war (1618-1648).
In the late
17th and early 18th

century
the monastery was expanded, this time in baroque style.
After a bombardment by the French army in 1742 most
of the medieval gothic buildings were rebuilt in baroque
style.
The current buildings at the Strahov
monastery were constructed mainly in the 17th and 18th
century. The most interesting parts of the monastery
are the Theological Hall and Philosophical Hall. The
Theological Hall was built between
1671 and 1679 and houses the theological book collection
of the famous Strahov library. Its collection contains
over 200,000 books and includes works from famous printers
such as Christoffel Plantin from
Antwerp.
The frescoes on the ceiling of the Theological Hall
took four years to complete. They depict

the
profession of the librarian. In the hall are several
17th century geographical and astronomical globes.
The Philosophical Hall was built a
century later, between 1782 and 1784. The ceiling's
frescoes, depicting the history of mankind, were created
in 1794 by the Austrian painter Franz Anton Maulbertsch.
The two-story high hall contains books obtained from
an old monastery in Moravia.
The Strahov monastery's church was
originally a romanesque basilica. It was rebuilt in
Gothic style after a fire in 1258. Two centuries later
it was plundered by the Hussites and

repaired
in Renaissance style. After a bombardment by French
troops in 1742 the church was repaired once again, this
time in Baroque style.
The Strahov church, also known as the
Basilica of our Lady has a richly decorated interior.
The nave's 16 meter high vault features frescoes painted
in 1774. Along the side of the nave above the arcades
are twelve frescoes depicting the life of St. Norbertus,
founder of the Premonstratensians.
The Strahov church also houses an organ on which Mozart
played during his visit to the monastery in 1787.
The Strahov Monastery is located about
1.5km (approx 1mile) west of the
Prague
Castle.