Bohemia’s oldest monastic building
Next to St George’s Basilica stands the Benedictine Convent of St George, founded in 973 by Duke Boleslav II and his sister Mlada, the first abbess. The pre-Romanesque, Ottonian building is the oldest monastic building in Bohemia, consisting originally of one small building without cloisters. Following damage caused by raging fires during the siege of Prague Castle in 1142, and again in 1541, the monastery was altered and enlarged several times, given a Baroque look (1657–1680), and closed in 1782. Today it is part of the National Gallery (Národní galerie; http://www.ngprague.cz) and houses, in addition to temporary exhibitions, the Bohemian Mannerism and Baroque collection.
