The Cistercian Abbey of Zbraslav




Photo by Moniek Bloks

The Cistercian Abbey of Zbraslav near Prague was a very significant monastery in the Kingdom of Bohemia. It was founded in 1292 by King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and several members of the Přemyslid dynasty are buried there. The abbey was abolished in 1789 by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. It was briefly used as an exhibition space and is now awaiting a new purpose in life.

The site has a link to Elisabeth of Bohemia, who supported the building of the abbey and was buried at Zbraslav on 1 October 1330. There are reportedly several unidentified Queens also buried there. The widowed Margaret of Bohemia, Duchess of Bavaria was on her way to marry King Casimir III the Great of Poland when she died suddenly and she too was buried there. Joanna of Bavaria, wife of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, was probably also buried here before being moved to St. Vitus Cathedral.

Unfortunately, despite its pretty interesting history, information is very limited and although the park was open to the public, I found none of the buildings open. The main church, where the tombs below are to be found, even had a big NO ENTRANCE sign in front of it. As I walked around, there appeared to be an older woman staring at me from behind one of the gated entrances. Hopefully one day, they will be more open to visitors.

 

Tombstone of Elisabeth of Bohemia on the right by Acoma – Vlastní dílo, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

 

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About Moniek Bloks 2883 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

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