The church of St. Benedict

The present of the church

 

 

St. Benedict church is situated in Bruntálská street in a town quarter – Kostelec. There is no such a unique collection of restored mural paintings in the entire Silesia as in St. Benedikt Church in Krnov - Kostelec. Thanks to the grant of the Regional operating project of ´Moravskoslezko´ provided by the European Union, the renovation  was completed in 2012 as well as all the restored interiors were made accessible to the public. The renovation costs reached nearly 10 million Czech Crowns.

 

History of the church

 

According to new archeological survey, the church sacristy originates from the 1st half of the 13th century and it served as a chancel of the original medieval church. There are frescoes from the 13th and 15th century, which present St. Benedict´s of Nursia life scenes and the Transfiguration on Tábor Mountain. These were successfully restored between 2001 and 2007. The church presents the oldest preserved sacral building in Moravskoslezský district. 

During the baroque reconstruction of the church between 1862 and 1863, a tall tower of a squared ground plan was erected in its western frontage. Johann Anton English, a civil engineer, made out a budget for a roof, facade and statics fixing. The fixing costs were to reach up to 1018 Guldens. Johann Mihatsch, a Krnov builder, was chosen to run the reconstruction. The reconstruction took longer than expected, up to 1821. Due to economical reasons, some of the reconstruction operations quit.

 

 

By 1936, the church was surrounded by a smallish churchyard, which was separated by the stone wall with two gateways. Closeness to local wells led to the increase in typhoid fever between 1880 and 1929. Also, the need for widening of the road and the elementary school contributed to the church close down. Next to the Church there is a sandstone statue of St. Jan Baptist from 1730´s made by a sculptor Andreas Zahner, which is, together with the church, a cultural monument.

 

 

Benedict´s tale

 

Benedict grew up with his sister Scholastica – his twin. Once he grew up, he left for studying. However, the school disappointed him so much. He left for mountains and lived there as a hermit. As time passed, he became well known for his devotion. A group of monks asked him to become their Superior. He accepted, but the relation did not work. Therefore he decided to live alone again.  Continuously, more men came to lead such a life like Benedict did. There were more and more of them coming so they started building new monasteries. One day, an envious monk tried to poison him. Benedict recognized that attempt and his domesticated raven took the poisoned bread away.  Benedict came with a new idea – the monks were to spend their time not only with worshiping, as they got used to, but also with work. He considered the rules of their common life very carefully and made a written record of that. Benedict and his students did a great job – they established schools, monasteries and farmed the land. Their work has been admired up to now. Despite having a tough life, Benedict never gave up and his heart was getting bigger and bigger. That is why he was call “Saint” shortly after his death.

 

 

Contact Bruntálská ulice, Krnov +420 731 623 421 www.svaty-benedikt.cz

 

Opening hours and Religious services schedule You can visit St. Benedikt Church in Krnov - Kostelec every Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 p. m. to 5 p. m. You can organize a tour within the opening hours from 1 p. m. to 5 p. m. via phone +420 731 623 421.  The tours are free of charge. The guide will unlock the church for you within 15 minutes. The church tours are not available during religious services. Religious services Wednesday: 5 p.m. Friday: 5 p.m. Sunday: 8 p.m.  Online bookings for tours http://svaty-benedikt.cz/kalendar/.