The monastery in Milevsko is the oldest monastery in Southern Bohemia and was founded in 1184 by the magnate Jiří of Milevsko. Its original Romanesque style from the end of the 12th century has been mostly preserved until today. In the second half of the 13th century the first building adjustments in the Gothic style were made. The monastery became partly a fortress and, thanks to the Latin school on its premises, it became a signifi cant center of culture and education in Southern Bohemia. During the Hussite Wars, the monastery was destroyed by fi re and ransacked. The Thirty Years’ War brought about a new fl ourishing of the monastery when it became managed by the Strahov Premonstratensians. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the monastery was modified into Baroque style. The deanery, Latin school, convent and monastery church gained a new appearance. The church was reconsecrated to the Annunciation of Virgin Mary. Under the reforms made by Joseph II, the monastery in Milevsko was dissolved, but the monastery assets remained in the hands of the Strahov Premonstratensians. The Church of the Annunciation of Virgin Mary became a parish church, and in 1805 it was changed to a deanery church. The monastery buildings started to be used diff erently during World War I when they served as a military hospital, and in 1950 they were acquired by a farm. Other uses included the town archive and the regional museum, and in 1989 the monastery was returned to the Strahov Premonstratensians. They established a novitiate and religious home there. You can visit the historical premises of the former prelature where you can see museum exhibitions, the paradise garden with fragments of the cloister passage, and a park. Two guided tours are prepared for visitors – Life of Premonstratensian Brothers and Sacral Buildings.
Attraction:
In one location, you can admire Romanesque architectonic gems, majestic Gothic or pompous Baroque.