Sázava Monastery is a Benedictine monastery in the Central Bohemian Region, founded around 1032, where the Slavonic liturgy was celebrated.
Sázava Monastery is a Benedictine monastery on the Sázava River in the Central Bohemian Region. The National Heritage Institute describes it as the third-oldest men's monastery in Bohemia.[1]
Beginnings
At the start of the 11th century the hermit Procopius settled in a cave above the river and gathered a community of hermits around him. Around 1032, with the support of Dukes Oldřich and Břetislav, it became a Benedictine monastery. Throughout the 11th century the Slavonic liturgy was celebrated there, continuing the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The Slavic Benedictines produced a number of Slavonic written works at the monastery.[1] Abbot Procopius died on 25 March 1053 and was buried in the wooden church that he had built with his companions.[1]
Expulsion and return of the Slavic monks
In 1055, under Duke Spytihněv II, Procopius's disciples were expelled and spent six years in a Basilian monastery in Visegrád in Hungary. In 1061 Duke Vratislav, later the first Czech king, summoned them back to Sázava, and a period of contacts with monks of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra followed. Sázava became a meeting point of Western and Eastern Christianity.[1] Around 1070 the first stone church, dedicated to the Holy Cross, was consecrated. Its foundations were discovered by the archaeologist Květa Reichertová in the 1970s and can be seen in the northern garden of the complex.[1]
Abbot Božetěch, who according to the text was also an artist, began at the end of the 11th century to rebuild the wooden church as a Romanesque basilica. In 1095 Bishop Cosmas of Prague consecrated its chancel, and relics of Boris and Gleb were placed in the altar. In December 1096, under Duke Břetislav II, the Slavic monks were expelled for a second time and Slavonic manuscripts were destroyed.[1]
Latin Benedictines
At the beginning of 1097 the monastery was settled by Latin Benedictines from Břevnov, headed by Abbot Dědhard (1097 to 1133). Under Abbots Silvestr (1134 to 1161) and Reginard of Metz (from 1162) the Romanesque basilica and the other buildings were completed. A chronicle known as the Chronicle of the Monk of Sázava was also written, recording events up to 1177.[1]