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:

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User Reviews

Dan Fi (6 months ago)
We had a conference at Emmaus Abbey and enjoyed the calm surrounding, the beautiful inner courtyard and the picturesque rooms.

Baha Amro (7 months ago)
A very unique Monastery with a great cafe, i really enjoyed the peace and the view.

Kristine Eksteine-Nizka (7 months ago)
It's an incredible place. I'm not religious, but even I'm able to appreciate the peace and beauty of the monastery. The garden, the drawings on the wall, and the whole building is just incredible.

Jágerné Majoros Éva és caládja (8 months ago)
Wonderful old frescoes and peaceful garden.

Ádám Veres (2 years ago)
Amazing place, interesting piece of history. Calm and peacful island in the city center.

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