THE BASILICA OF ST. PROKOPIUS
Zámek 1, 674 01 Třebíč
Opening hours:
June – September: Mon – Fri 9 – 17:00, Sat, Sun 12:30 – 18:00,
October – May: Mon – Thu 9 – 17:00, Fri 9 – 15:00,
Sat, Sun 12:30 – 17:00
Last tour 1 hour before the closing time.
Telephone no. for reservation: +420 568 610 022
e-mail: infobazilika@mkstrebic.cz
Entrance:
Adults
60,- CZK (€ 3)
Students, children, seniors
30,- CZK (€ 1,50)
Children up to 6 years
free of charge
Tours in the basilica with the guide organized every hour (except 12:00).
The last tour 1 hour before the closing time. The last tour on Friday at 2
p.m. Regular worships: Monday 6 p.m., Tuesday 6 p.m., Wednesday 6
p.m., Thursday 8 a.m., Friday 4.30 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m., Sunday 7
a.m., 10 a.m.
THE BASILICA OF ST. PROKOPIUS
The romano-gothic Basilica of St. Procopius´ is along with the Jewish
Quarter and Jewish Cemetery recorded in UNESCO´s World Cultural
and Natural Heritage List.
The first sacral building, which came into being as a spin-off from
the construction of the Třebíč Monastery, was St. Benedictus' church
consecrated by the Bishop of Prague Heřman already in 1104 during
the rule of Kuna - the first Abbot of Třebíč.
Basilica was built up around the mid-thirteenth century (probably
between 1230 and 1260). The basilica, which functioned as abbot's
temple with the patrocinium of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, was
without any doubt the most intricately-constructed building in the whole
monastery compound. In fact it is the only building in the Třebíč
Monastery that has been preserved up to the present within its original
ground plan and architectural layout.
The basilica is a jewel of European medieval architecture. Its
design represents a transition between the Romanesque style and the
Gothic style. Its construction was influenced by a late-Romanesque
building school that had come to this region from southwestern France
by way of Burgundy and Upper Rhine. Just like the rest of the
monastery the basilica suffered a lot of damage during the siege of
Třebíč by Hungarian troops in 1468. Later it was repaired and adapted
several times and since the early sixteenth century it was used mostly
for secular purposes. It was not until 1704 that Jan Karel of Valdštejn
ordered an adaptation of the least severely damaged part of the
basilica, i.e. its presbytery, to a castle chapel dedicated to St. Procopus.
A really thorough renovation of the basilica, however, was carried out no
earlier than between 1725 and 1733 during the rule of Jan Josef of
Valdštejn.
The architect F. M. Kaňka was in charge of the renovation. He
replaced the original derelict vaulting with a Baroque reticulated stucco
vault. At that time its two towers in the style of Baroque Gothic were
built. One of the most precious parts of the basilica, the portal, was not
discovered until 1862. The final stage of the renovation was carried out
between 1924 and 1934 according to the designs of the architect Kamil
Hilbert. In 1956 the reconstruction of the destroyed southern apical
chapel with an apse was finished. Aside from the above-mentioned
northern nave with the portal, there are also surviving wall paintings in
abbot's chapel and the crypt located under the church that deserve our
special attention.
Visit of Basilica will be an unforgettable experience for you.