Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Kutná Hora Sedlec
Sedlec is currently a part of Kutná Hora. The beginnings of the history of the town were written here, and in 1142 twelve Cistercian monks, invited by the nobleman Miroslav of Markvartice, came here. The monks were to establish a monastery here, which became the first and oldest monastery of this order in the Czech Republic. Especially in recent years, reconstructions have taken place here, during which the remains of buried monks were discovered.
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Interesting facts Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Kutná Hora Sedlec
The lands that Miroslav of Markvartice donated to the monastery contained silver, while the largest deposits were discovered at the end of the 13th century, which stimulated further development and especially the establishment of Kutná Hora and of course the construction of the monastery church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which took place between 1280 and 1320. Within our territory, this was the first building of the cathedral type and until the church of St. Víta in Prague, it was also the longest building. In connection with the emphasis on the deep piety of the Cistercians and their rules, the monastery church did not have a tower, magnificent decoration or colored windows.
During the Hussite wars, the church was looted and severely damaged. Another big blow hit him at the beginning of the 17th century, when he was robbed and sold. Between 1700 and 1709, a complete reconstruction of the church and the monastery complex took place, led by Jan Blažej Santini-Aichl, whose work marked the appearance of the church with specific Baroque Gothic. The decoration of the church is the work of important artists, such as Jan Kryštof Liška, Petr Brandl or Václav Vavřinec Reiner.
However, Santini did not complete his work on the church, the monastery became indebted and in 1783 he was Joseph II. canceled. From 1801, the church functioned as a parish church, serving the villages of Malín and Sedlec, and the state began to modify the remaining monastery buildings for the operation of a tobacco factory.
The situation only improved with the ownership of Philip Morris. The convent buildings, the Baroque interior and the facades of the individual buildings were repaired. The construction of the former monastery church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is completely unique, as evidenced, among other things, by the fact that in 1995 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Author Andrea Štyndlová