Емауський монастир Emmaus Monastery

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If you look at the building from the Vltava River, you can easily recognize the Emmaus Monastery by its two sharp spiers that rise from its roof like wings. They immediately draw attention to their inconsistency with the Prague classics of the walls and foundation of the temple. Emmaus Monastery attracts not only with its extraordinary architecture, but also no less fascinating history. It was founded by Charles IV in 1347 and to the XXI century still excites our imagination. But where does such a strange name come from? On the day of his consecration, a chapter from the Bible was read, which tells of Jesus' meeting with his disciples on the road to Emmaus.

The main church of the monastery is called the Church of the Virgin Mary in Slovanie. And in front of the entrance to the monastery is a small church of St. Kozmi and Damiana. Emmaus Monastery is a unique phenomenon in the Slavic lands. This is the first Catholic church where the service was conducted in Church Slavonic, specially invited by Croatian monks.
. They remained faithful to the Glagolitic tradition. Hence the other name of the church - the monastery "On the Slavs". This innovation appeared at the request of Charles IV to Pope Clement IV. Thus the king wanted to eliminate the split between the Eastern and Western Christian churches, and strengthen his own Slavic traditions. Therefore, the church honors not only the Virgin Mary, St. Jerome, St. Wojciech, but also the Orthodox Saints Cyril and Methodius, Procopius.

Walking through the quiet halls of the sanctuary, you will see the remains of rare frescoes on the walls - outstanding examples of Czech Gothic painting of the XIV century. Here is the largest and most invaluable collection of biblical scenes from the Old and New Testaments. You will not find such in all of Europe. The parishioners loved these paintings, as most of them were illiterate, and the paintings made it possible to learn about Bible stories.

The aim of the king was to create such a monastery, which would actively develop scientific and educational life.
And soon the Emmaus Monastery became one of the centers of Slavic literature, education and culture. Its walls preserve the mystery of the creation of priceless manuscripts and artistic miniatures of the highest skill.

One such manuscript is the famous Reims Gospel. It was used during the coronation of French kings until the XVI century. Preacher Jan Hus, astronomer and mathematician Johann Kepler once lived and studied here. The Emmaus Monastery began its educational activities very brightly, but political changes and continuous wars weakened its first aspirations and greatly affected its architecture. Initially, Croatian monks lived here, who have preserved the traditions of Slavic worship. Then - Spanish monks, later - German. And together with the inhabitants of the temple, its appearance also changed. At first it was a fine example of Gothic architecture. Then the temple was rebuilt in the Baroque style.
Two centuries later it was renovated in neo-Gothic style.

During World War II, the monastery was badly damaged by American bombing. After the war, the monks began to rebuild the temple, but the communist authorities seized the sanctuary and made it a warehouse. The church has not worked for decades. In 1970, the Americans apologized for the bombing of Prague, resulting in two spiers in the building in the Art Nouveau style. After the fall of the communist regime, the monks returned to the monastery and began reconstruction. Now the monastery belongs to the Benedictine Order and is open to all.

The modest church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Slavs could be lost in the background of many other majestic temples in Prague. However, due to its location on a hill - it is a visible landmark for tourists walking in Prague. The land on which the church stands is also remarkable for the city.
Above the main entrance to the temple is an inscription made during its reconstruction in the XVII century. It states that the first church on this site was built by Prince Wenceslas in 928.

The new church from the first years of its existence was a parish cathedral. The church experienced its heyday in the 14th century, after the Czech King Charles IV invited monks of the Benedictine Order from Croatia to Prague in 1347 to worship in the Old Slavonic language. Until the completion of the construction of the great Benedictine monastery next to the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian was one of the few cathedrals in Central Europe, where worship was conducted in accordance with the canons of the Greek Catholic rite.

There are two memorial plaques on its walls. One is in honor of the founder of the monastery of Charles IV, the other is related to the secret burial of the victims of the revolution of 1848 in the church garden.