The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady () in Old Brno Abbey is a high Gothic, monumental convent temple. It was founded in 980-1020 by the unknown lord or monarch in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. It was built on the site of an ancient sanctuary from the late 10th century in a short time in the years 1323 to 1334 at the instigation of Queen Elizabeth Richeza. It is the best preserved stylistically coherent and unified temple in Lands of Bohemian Crown.

History

The temple is rightly called a gem of gothic architecture of Lands of Bohemian crown. In 1323 the double queen - royal widow Elizabeth Richeza founded a Cistercian convent ( in Latin) called ''Aulae Sanctae Mariae'' beside to the oldest pre romanesque parisch church of Oure Lady in Old Brno. After her death in 1335 Elizabeth Richeza found her final resting burial place in the basilica. The spot is marked by the letter „E“ with a small crown carved in the paving of the church. In the 18th century, the interior of the church was rebuilt in the baroque style. That period also witnessed the finishing of the Baroque buildings of the abbey. In the 1783 the Austrian Emperor Joseph II closter abbey Old Brno was dissolved ( Josephinists reforms) and ordered the Augustinians to move to Old Brno from their original monastery of St. Thomas was situated in front of Běhounská Gate (Porta Rhenensis), later Lažansky square (what is now Moravské náměstí). The

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

also had a glorious "silver altar" in

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from ), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent Architecture, architectural feature, particularly over Alta ...

form made in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

and erected when the icon of the Black Madonna was crowned in 1736. At the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady a pilgrimage is held every year on August 15 in the basilica to worship her as the Protector of the city of Brno. The abbey church was promoted in 1987 by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

to the rank of a Basilica Minor

Architecture

The abbey church is of typical Cistercian architecture, built in the Gothic style – cruciform layout – main nave,

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

and two side

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s. The nave and its flanking aisles have a vaulted by

rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...

. The nave and its transept a vaulted ceiling more than high. The triple choir consists of the right choir in the east and two side chapels in cruciform layout. The crossing is separated from the nave by a massive transverse arches. Whole building body have 34 monumental tracery windows, most of them tripled. Nine of them with lancet arch, 14 equilateral arch. The church was primarily constructed as fair faced brick work (

Flemish bond Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...

), the first

brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

building in the region but using also stone (for arches, quoins, dripstones, embrasures, dripstones, water tables, plinths

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s) from the local area – Stránská skála quarry –

crinoid Crinoids are marine invertebrates that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that remain attached to the sea floor by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, called feather stars or comatulids, are ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. The building has an inside length of 67.45 metres (38 moravian

fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an international standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally accepted non-SI unit. H ...

s), width 28.4 metres (16 moravian fathoms) and a height to the ceiling of . Building as typical Cistercian churches have no tower, only one small spire – on the crossing of central nave and

. The layout of the basilica consists of one nave and two aisles, with the transept crossing the nave and aisles. South side of the transept have now an entrance.

Notable individuals

* Elizabeth Richeza – Queen *

John of Bohemia John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...

– King and cofounder * Henry of Lipá – Governor and Magnate, cofounder *

Gregor Mendel Gregor Johann Mendel Order of Saint Augustine, OSA (; ; ; 20 July 1822 – 6 January 1884) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian biologist, meteorologist, mathematician, Augustinians, Augustinian friar and abbot of St Thomas's Abbey, Brno, St. Thom ...

– abbot and scientistMendel: ''The Man, The Monk, The Scientist'', Anderson Eric, and Anderson Nancy, MD magazine, June 04 2012
/ref> *

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...

– composer * František Klácel – priest * Francis Thomas Bratranek – priest and Cracow University Rector * Pavel Křížkovský – composer and friar

Gallery

Bazilika Virgin Mary Brno.jpg, The High altar erected 1736 Basilika minor.JPG, View from the nearby

square to the north west Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady in Brno.jpg, At night, from Abbatial Yard to the south; artificial light highlights the buttresses Bazilica Old Brno.jpg, South part of the

– the

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

Starobrněnský klášter kostel 1.jpg, Body of the basilica from the north Basilica minor in Old Brno Abbey -Transept.jpg, One of the chapels Bazilica of The Assumption, Brno.jpg, The giant menorah – unknown origin (15th c.) BrnoBazilika.jpg, Exterior 19th century graphic Starobrněnský klášter 3.jpg, Whole complex of Abbey buildings Brno, Bazilika Nanebevzetí Panny Marie 01.jpg, Aerial view from the Špilberk Castle Bazilika Nanebevzetí Panny Marie (Brno).JPG, South east view Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, Abbatial church, Brno.jpg, Simple tomb of Queen Elizabeth Richeza

References

External links

Abbey home page
{{Authority control Basilica churches in the Czech Republic Churches in Brno Cistercian Order Gothic architecture in the Czech Republic Cistercian monasteries in the Czech Republic 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Czech Republic National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic 1320s establishments in Europe 1323 in Europe