The Strahov Monastery in Prague. The monastery takes its name from the Czech word strahovni which means, 'watching over'. King Vladislav II founded the monastery in 1140.

Strahov Monastery

Prague


In 1140 Vladislav II founded Strahov Monastery for the Premonstratensian order. The present monastery buildings, completed in the 17th and 18th centuries, functioned until the communist government closed them down and imprisoned most of the monks; they returned in 1990. The main attraction here is the magnificent Strahov Library.

Inside the main gate is the 1612 Church of St Roch (kostel sv Rocha), which is now an art gallery, and the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady (kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie), built in 1143 and heavily decorated in the 18th century in the baroque style; Mozart is said to have played the organ here.