Broumov Abbey, Benedictine monastery in Broumov, Czech Republic

Broumov Abbey is a Benedictine monastery whose convent and prelature were rebuilt in Baroque style in 1727–1733 by Christoph and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. The church of St Adalbert has a single nave with side chapels; the interior shows painted vaults, white pilasters with gilded capitals, and a high altar with a framed painting.

Founded after 1258 as a provostship dependent on Břevnov, the monastery was fortified by the mid-13th century. In 1420 Abbot Nicholas II fled there with the Codex Gigas, and after a 1559 fire the site was rebuilt in Baroque form by Christoph and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer between 1727 and 1733.

The name Broumov comes from Slavic roots meaning birch trees, reflecting the wooded setting the monks selected for their community. Walking through the courtyards and halls, you can feel how this location shaped daily monastic life for centuries.

The complex is open to visitors through guided tours and includes a cafe, restaurant, and educational center for exploring the site. Overnight accommodations are available in restored monk cells for those wishing to stay longer.

Above the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a copy of the Turin Shroud from 1651 was found in 1999, hidden in a wooden box behind a gilded stucco wreath inscribed Sancta Sindon. It was given to the monastery by Matouš Ferdinand Sobek of Bílenberk; of some 40 such copies worldwide, this is the only one in Central Europe.