Porta Coeli Monastery Pre-monastery
Předkláštěří u Tišnova is a small village about 23 km northwest of Brno and owes its origin, as its name suggests, to the monastery of Porta Coeli, an important national cultural monument. It is the only functioning Cistercian convent in the Czech Republic and Slavic countries, as well as an interesting place worth visiting.
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Interesting facts Porta Coeli Monastery Pre-monastery
The Cistercian convent of Porta Coeli (translated as the Gate of Heaven) was founded in the first half of the 13th century, the first written mention of it is from 1233. It was founded by Queen Constance of Hungary, wife of King Přemysl Otakar I., who has been here since buried in her death in 1240, only to this day her grave and not the grave of her son Přemysl, Margrave of Moravia, has not been found. Between 1233 and 1240, the monastery church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built, which is a Romanesque-Gothic three-nave building with a transept and an elongated presbytery. On the sides of the chancel there is a polygonal chapel and the naves and the presbytery are vaulted with a cross vault. At the time of construction, a unique concession portal was created on the western façade, which is very richly decorated compared to classical Cistercian architecture. The church has no tower, only a bell tower. The monastery was built on uninhabited territory and since it was not protected by any castle in the area, it had to have a quality fortification (ie defense) system, which included a moat, walls and watchtowers. This system is still evident in some places.
In the 17th century, significant modifications were made to the monastery, when the abbess's residence, the eastern square and a new enclosure wall, including farm buildings, were built. These reconstructions continued during the 18th century. In 1782, however, the monastery was decided by Emperor Joseph II. canceled. The monastery church became a parish church and the rest of the buildings were used for industrial purposes. However, the Cistercians managed to push through the restoration of the convent and returned to the monastery in 1901. Before that, however, a new convent church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built, because the original one has already remained the parish church. You can walk through the whole area with a guide who will give you a dedicated explanation.
The Podhorácké Museum is now located in the part of the monastery that was rebuilt into a chateau at the time of its abolition.
Author: Martina Limbergová