St Thomas's Abbey in Brno, Augustinian monastery in Old Brno, Czech Republic.
St Thomas's Abbey is an Augustinian monastery in Old Brno that blends Gothic arches, Baroque decorations, and Neoclassical elements throughout its buildings. The complex contains multiple connected structures with towers, halls, and rooms that grew and changed over centuries.
The monastery was founded in 1323 by Elizabeth Richeza of Poland and became a center for religious and educational activities in the Moravian region. Over generations, the buildings were updated and redesigned to meet the community's evolving needs.
The monastery served as a center where monks and clergy shared knowledge and faith with the local community throughout the centuries. Today, visitors can walk through the rooms where religious communities gathered for prayer and daily duties.
The complex is easy to reach on foot and visitors can join guided tours that lead through the rooms and explain the site's history. It is best to wear comfortable shoes, as some areas have uneven old stone floors and steps.
Geneticist Gregor Mendel conducted his experiments on heredity with pea plants in the monastery gardens, laying the foundation for modern genetics. These groundbreaking studies happened quietly, unknown to the scientific world at the time.
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