St. George’s Basilica was the second church built in the Prague Castle. It was originally constructed in 920 by Prince Vratislav, but it underwent important structural and functional changes in 973 when it was adopted by the convent of the Benedictine nuns.

The Order of Saint Benedict follows the Rule of Saint Benedict. Benedict of Nursia was an Italian monk who established a monastery at Subiaco, Italy in 529. The rules he created for his monastery outlived him, and by the ninth century, Benedictine monasticism was often favored in Western Europe, excluding Celtic areas. Different from other forms of monasticism, which rely on a united superior to preside over all sections of the order, Benedictine congregations are autonomous. This greatly aided in the breadth of the order, and the great sense of community within each congregation, which is one of the main tenets of the tradition.

The Benedictine nuns at the St. George’s Convent in the Prague Castle fostered not only Benedictine monasticism to Prague and Bohemia, but also important cultural developments to the region. St. George’s Convent was founded by the Přemyslid dynasty, a prominent Bohemian family, and it was the oldest and most powerful female monastery in medieval Bohemia. The cultural transfers that occurred at St. George’s were made possible by the location and people involved in the convent. As a part of Prague Castle, the convent was in an ideal location close to important political seats, economic offices, and a social hub of Prague. Historian Renáta Modráková defines the main spheres of influence on the transmission of culture and knowledge at the St. George’s Convent as the ‘inner’ circle and the ‘outer’ circle. The former consisted of the nuns, abbesses, canons, and novices of the convent. The latter consisted of the convent’s founders, donors, family members of the nuns, and laics. Through this network of people, the Benedictine nuns of St. George’s were able to document information and preserve manuscripts given to them by people outside the convent walls. Their impressive and detailed preservation of cultural knowledge and materials can be found in the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Benedictine male monasteries also executed educational initiatives and cultural developments, but St. George’s Convent is a perfect example of how religious women too contributed and led in these processes. St. George’s and other convents like it provided opportunities for girls and women to participate in education in Bohemia.

After the Benedictine nuns inhabited the basilica beginning in 973, they enlarged and reconstructed the building to better adhere to their worshiping needs. Sadly, much of that design no longer exists, as the church was devastated by a fire in 1142. The current form and decoration of the church contains a mix of styles. The Early Baroque period influenced the facade, and the Chapel of Saint John was added to the building in the Baroque style by architect F. M. Kanka in the early 1700s. Further, occupation of the church by troops in the late 1700s caused the church to be largely renewed between 1887 and 1908. The architect, F. Mach, attempted to restore the earlier styles, and today, the convent no longer has its original religious use, but rather it exhibits old Bohemian art.

Written by Peyton Connor

“St. George’s Basilica.” Prague Castle for Visitors, https://www.hrad.cz/en/prague-castle-for-visitors/objects-for-visitors/st.-georges-basilica-and-convent-10333. Accessed 12 June 2024.

Modráková, Renáta. “Chapter III Benedictine St George’s Monastery at the Prague Castle as a Crossroad of Medieval Cultural Trends and Ideas.” (Trans)missions: Monasteries as Sites of Cultural Transfers, 2022, pp. 40-59. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.15136045.7.

“St. George’s Basilica.” Prague Castle for Visitors, https://www.hrad.cz/en/prague-castle-for-visitors/other/history-of-prague-castle-10340.
Accessed 12 June 2024.

“Benedictines.” Wikipedia (2024). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedictines#:~:text=Benedictine%20monasticism%20differs%20from%20other,by%20an%20abbot%20or%20abbess.

“St. George’s Convent, Prague.” Wikipedia (2024). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%27s_Convent,_Prague.