Rajhrad Benedictine Monastery

Rajhrad is a little town, the history of which goes back to the Stone Age. There is an abbey of an old Benedictine monastery – the oldest monastery in Moravia. Giovanni B. Santini was the architect of the Baroque reconstruction of the monastery complex. The monastery consists of the complex of one-floor buildings, mainly concentrated around the main courtyard. The Church of St. Peter and Paul is richly decorated with sculptures, paintings and frescoes. The main altar with the sculpture of Jesus Christ is made of 45 kinds of European marble, including the marble from the Mount of Olives in the Holy Land. The convent was decorated with paintings by old masters. Recently the paintings are exhibited in the National Gallery in Prague. Also wine cellars were a part of the monastery. Wine still has been produced there (called “Rajhradské klášterní).