Strahov Monastery

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By the end of the 12th century, most of the original wooden buildings had been replaced by stone Romanesque buildings.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.