Břevnov Monastery, Benedictine monastery in Břevnov, Prague, Czech Republic.
Břevnov Monastery is a Benedictine abbey in the Břevnov district of Prague, comprising a baroque basilica, inner courtyards, a granary, a farmhouse, and sprawling gardens with an abbot's summer residence by the Brusnice Stream. The basilica displays an oval floor plan with frescoes by Cosmas Damian Asam and stucco work, while the monastic buildings cluster around several courtyards and are enclosed by walls.
Duke Boleslav II and Bishop Adalbert established the abbey in 993, making it the oldest male monastic community in Czech territory. Architect Christoph Dientzenhofer redesigned the complex in the baroque style between 1708 and 1745, following damage from earlier wars.
The brewery follows recipes that have been refined over centuries and continues to produce beer that guests can sample in the monastic tavern. Below the basilica, the crypt holds the relics of Saint Benedict and his sister Scholastica, which arrived from Italy in 1925.
The gardens open daily from early morning until late evening and offer walking paths along the stream and among old trees. Guided tours of the basilica and monastic rooms take place on weekends and last about an hour.
A stone marker by the Brusnice marks the spot where legend says the duke and the bishop met while hunting and decided to found the abbey. The well beside the marker still bears the name Vojtěška after Bishop Adalbert.
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