The Emauzy Abbey
Vyšehradská 49/320
128 00 Prague 2
Czech Republic
The Emauzy Abbey is situated 400m from the Tram stop and Metro station Line B „Karlovo náměstí“. map
The monastery Na Slovanech with a church founded by Charles IV in 1347 is the only Slavonic monastery in the west Christianity of the Charles’s empire and a centre of scholarship and arts. Such personalities as Jan Hus, Jerome of Prague etc. were among the students. A number of illuminated literal jewels were created here, among others a so-called Reims Gospel-book and the first complete translation of Jerome’s Vulgata. The monastery together with the church was solemnly consecrated by archbishop Ocko from Vlasim in the presence of Charles IV on 29 March 1372. The wall paintings rank among the most precious relics of the Czech Gothic. In the 16th century, abbot Matthew Benesovsky transformed the area in a tavern with a skittle-ground and musicians for entertainment; in the early 17th century, the astronomer Kepler lived here for a few years.
In 1712, both the monastery and the church were transformed into Baroque style, the high roof was replaced by a tripartite one, and two low frontal bulbous towers of the church were built. After 1880, the monastery, as well as the church were restored and altered to the so-called Beuron style.
On 14 February 1945, during an American air-raid in Prague, the church was destroyed. Later on, a modern structure by the project of ing. arch. F. M. Cerny was installed: an asymmetric 32 meter high shell structure with a 40 cm thick construction of white concrete.
