Strahov Monastery and Library Guided Tour, Prague - October 8, 2015

On October 8, 2015, a few of the AFoCR Directors enjoyed a private tour of the famous Strahov Monastery and Library. A private organ recital was also given by a resident monk.

Strahov Monastery History from www.prague.net

The Strahov Monastery (Strahovsky Klaster) started its long itinerary through history with establishment of the Premonstratensians, a religious order of canons founded in 1120 by St Norbert as an independent part of the Catholic church. By the year 1182, a Romanesque stone monastery was built on the place of an older foundation of Prince Vladislav II (from 1140). Its peace was disturbed by a fire in 1258, when the church was almost completely destroyed. A reconstruction in the Gothic style followed, but that did not last long, as Baroque retouches were added during the beginning of the 18^th century. In the meanwhile, the abbey was plundered by the Hussites and later during the Thirty Years’ War by a regiment of the Swedish army. The last but not least hit that the abbey took was the bombardment of the church’s premises by the French, in 1742. After the Communist regime ended, the abbey was returned to the Premonstratensians in 1989. The Strahov Monastery it is not only an active place of pilgrimage but also a valuable museum and a famous library, still holding an unbelievable number of rare volumes.