Sázava Monastery

The Sázava Monastery is the place of miracles of Saint Procopius, the patron saint of the Czech lands and Posázaví. Not only pilgrims, but also other visitors are welcome to experience the atmosphere of this mystical place and get to know its history and present.

Whether you are a pilgrim or a tourist, the Sázava Monastery and its surroundings will engulf you in mystery, peace and humility. During a guided tour you will hear many interesting stories and see a colourful mosaic of architecture and art objects from different historical periods.

The third oldest male monastery in our country is located in the place where the hermit Procopius, later a saint and one of the patrons of the Czech lands, settled in a cave at the beginning of the 11th century. He created a community of hermits around him, which transformed into a Benedictine monastery. This monastery built on the former heritage of the great Moravian saints Cyril and Methodius. They cultivated education and maintained the Slavonic liturgy here.

• Interesting fact: At present the monastery has two administrators. Part of the premises is managed by the National Heritage Institute, while the monastery church of St. Procopius and the parish is owned and managed by the local Roman Catholic parish.

Get to know the monastery’s secrets on a guided tour named Sázava of Saint Procopius, which is run seasonally by the National Heritage Institute. If you want to see the pilgrimage church of St. Procopius and its St. Procopius – the Czech patron saint exhibition, then go on a tour provided by the parish, which is open all year round. In addition to the exhibition about this Czech patron saint, you will visit the crypt and see the new organ in a baroque cabinet. There is also a new interactive audiovisual tour with a mobile phone available, giving you a unique opportunity to travel through time through the monastery. The tour comes from Warhorse Studio, creators of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance video game, in which the monastery appeared.

• Tip for you: Experience medieval monastic life in the exceptional Gothic capitular hall decorated with paintings from the time of Emperor Charles IV. You will see an exceptional depiction of the Madonna of Sázava scolding the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary with a pregnant belly.

Where to head next?

The icing on the cake is the peaceful northern monastery garden with the foundations of the Church of the Holy Cross from 1070, which resemble a four-leaf clover, the so-called tetraconch. The garden is freely accessible during the monastery’s visiting hours. In addition to the pilgrimage site and the Sázava River, the town is also famous for its glass making. Visit the Centre of Glass Art in the František Glassworks, where you will learn about the journey that an ordinary grain of sand takes before it becomes a fragile beauty.