Hermitage of St. Francis in Dvorce, Hermitage in Bor forest near Lysá nad Labem, Czech Republic
The Hermitage of Saint Francis in Dvorce occupies a wooded site with a chapel and a two-story building called Salettl that contains rooms for nobility and servants. The structures remain modest in scale and nestled among forest surroundings that define the character of this retreat.
Count František Antonín Špork commissioned this Baroque hermitage as a hunting retreat, with construction spanning from around 1692 to 1717. This period reflected the aristocratic trend of creating private spiritual retreats set within forest landscapes.
A statue depicting Saint Francis of Assisi's stigmatization marks the site's spiritual purpose as a place of Catholic devotion. This sculpture reflects the religious values that shaped the region and continues to anchor the hermitage's meaning in the forest.
The site is reached on foot via forest paths approximately 1 kilometer west of Dvorce village. Sturdy footwear and some map reading are helpful as trails can be unmarked, and the wooded setting requires careful navigation.
The original hermitage structure gave way to a pavilion that forest officials restored in 2008 to preserve memory of this site. This restoration effort saved the location from disappearing entirely into the forest.
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