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48-616: Sedlec Abbey was founded in 1142 from Waldsassen Abbey in Sedlec as the first Cistercian monastery in Bohemia . The grounds covered by wood and swamp were granted by Miroslav, House of Wartenberg. It flourished under abbot Heinrich Heidenreich  [ de ] , due to silver mining in the region. The abbey was burnt in April 1421 by Hussites led by Jan Žižka , and many monks were killed. The library had been secured shortly before to

96-668: A Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus ( fl. 1401–1415), a part of the Bohemian Reformation . After the execution of Hus at the Council of Constance , a series of crusades, civil wars, victories and compromises between various factions with different theological agendas broke out. At the end of the Hussite Wars (1420–1434), the now Catholic -supported Utraquist side came out victorious from conflict with

144-434: A balustraded mezzanine with more shelves above. These ten columns are carved in the shape of allegorical figures around book production: rag picker, pigskin maker, bookbinder, author, bookseller, critic... grotesque men bent under their burden of supporting the mezzanine level but also burdened by human foibles of their profession such as vanity, ignorance and boastfulness. The lindenwood carvings were completed by Karl Stilp ,

192-544: A fierce resistance to five consecutive crusades proclaimed on Hussite Bohemia by the Papacy . Hussites were one of the most important forerunners of the Protestant Reformation . This predominantly religious movement was propelled by social issues and strengthened Czech national awareness. The Council of Constance lured Jan Hus in with a letter of indemnity, then tried him for heresy and put him to death at

240-501: A local sculptor, in 1725. The library also features a painted ceiling and ornamental plaster work. The painter Karl Hofreiter worked on the interiors. The library hall is maintained by nuns of the Cistercian Sisterhood. Part of the former monastic premises now accommodates an International Ceramics Museum. Hussites The Hussites ( Czech : Husité or Kališníci , "Chalice People"; Latin : Hussitae ) were

288-716: Is a Cistercian nunnery, formerly a Cistercian monastery, located on the River Wondreb at Waldsassen near Tirschenreuth , Oberpfalz , in Bavaria , Germany, close to the border with the Czech Republic . In the Holy Roman Empire it was an Imperial Abbey . The monastery, the first Cistercian foundation in Bavaria, was founded by Gerwich of Wolmundstein, a Benedictine monk of Sigeberg Abbey , with

336-673: The " Unitas Fratrum " already in 1457. Under Emperor Maximilian II , the Bohemian state assembly established the Confessio Bohemica , upon which Lutherans , Reformed, and Bohemian Brethren agreed. From that time forward Hussitism began to die out. After the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620 the Roman Catholic Faith was re-established with vigour, which fundamentally changed the religious conditions of

384-603: The Bavarian War (1504) the monastery, church, and farm-buildings were burned, but immediately afterwards rebuilt, and the new church was consecrated in 1517. In 1525, during the German Peasants' War , part of the buildings were again destroyed, and were restored by Georg III (1531–37), the last of the first series of abbots. From 1537 to 1560 in the course of the Reformation administrators were appointed by

432-490: The Czech lands . Leaders and members of Unitas Fratrum were forced to choose to either leave the many and varied southeastern principalities of what was the Holy Roman Empire (mainly Austria , Hungary , Bohemia , Moravia and parts of Germany and its many states), or to practice their beliefs secretly. As a result, members were forced underground and dispersed across northwestern Europe. The largest remaining communities of

480-689: The Habsburg monarchy as Czechoslovakia (due to Masaryk and Czechoslovak legions with Hussite tradition, in the name of the troops). Today, the Hussite tradition is represented in the Moravian Church , Unity of the Brethren , and Czechoslovak Hussite Church . Hussitism organised itself during the years 1415–1419. Hussites were not a unitary movement, but a diverse one with multiple factions that held different views and opposed each other in

528-467: The Hussite Wars . From the beginning, there formed two parties, with a smaller number of people withdrawing from both parties around the pacifist Petr Chelčický , whose teachings would form the foundation of the Unitas Fratrum . Hussites can be divided into: The more conservative Hussites (the moderate party, or Utraquists ), who followed Hus more closely, sought to conduct reform while leaving

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576-650: The Peace of Westphalia Roman Catholicism was restored in Bavaria. In 1669, Waldsassen was restored to the Cistercians, and in 1690 Albrecht, first of the second series of abbots (who were six in number), was elected, regaining control of the abbey, but not its imperial immediacy . The buildings were sumptuously rebuilt in Baroque style after 1681 and the number of the monks again became considerable. The abbey became well known for its hospitality, particularly during

624-764: The Stift Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria . A few monks returned, but it took until 1620 to revive the monastery. It flourished once more after the Thirty Years' War , when several buildings were erected or remodeled. The abbey was dissolved in 1783. The abbey was originally built in Romanesque style . It was remodel in Gothic style between 1280 and 1320. After the destruction by the Hussites,

672-603: The Taborites and became the dominant Hussite group in Bohemia. Catholics and Utraquists were given legal equality in Bohemia after the religious peace of Kutná Hora in 1485. Bohemia and Moravia , or what is now the territory of the Czech Republic , remained majority Hussite for two centuries until Roman Catholicism was reimposed by the Holy Roman Emperor following the 1620 Battle of White Mountain during

720-540: The Thirty Years' War . The Hussite tradition continues in the Moravian Church , Unity of the Brethren and the refounded Czechoslovak Hussite churches. The Hussite movement began in the Kingdom of Bohemia and quickly spread throughout the remaining Lands of the Bohemian Crown , including Moravia and Silesia . It also made inroads into the northern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (now Slovakia ), but

768-560: The Utraquists . The radicals preached the "sufficientia legis Christi" —the divine law (i.e. the Bible ) is the sole rule and canon for human society, not only in the church, but also in political and civil matters. They rejected therefore, as early as 1416, everything that they believed had no basis in the Bible, such as the veneration of saints and images, fasts , superfluous holidays,

816-539: The ecumenical Council of Basel on October 15, 1431. The discussions began on 10 January 1432, focusing chiefly on the four articles of Prague . No agreement emerged. After repeated negotiations between the Basel Council and Bohemia, a Bohemian–Moravian state assembly in Prague accepted the " Compactata " of Prague on 30 November 1433. The agreement granted communion in both kinds to all who desired it, but with

864-516: The monastic clergy, and his desire to return the Church to its supposed condition during the time of the apostles. This required the removal of the existing hierarchy and the secularisation of ecclesiastical possessions. Above all they clung to Wycliffe's doctrine of the Lord's Supper , denying transubstantiation , and this is the principal point by which they are distinguished from the moderate party,

912-804: The Brethren were located in Lissa ( Leszno ) in Poland, which had historically strong ties with the Czechs, and in small, isolated groups in Moravia. Some, among them Jan Amos Comenius , fled to western Europe, mainly the Low Countries . A settlement of Hussites in Herrnhut , Saxony, now Germany, in 1722 caused the emergence of the Moravian Church . In 1918, as a result of World War I , the Czech lands regained independence from Austria-Hungary controlled by

960-528: The Reformation were noted for sanctity and learning; of them, Herman, the seventh abbot, and John, the seventeenth, as well as Gerwich, its founder, and Wigand, the first prior, are commemorated in the menology. From the middle of the 14th century, Waldsassen alternated between periods of prosperity and decline. Wars, famines, excessive taxation, and persecution by the Hussites made it suffer much. During

1008-694: The Roman Catholics and destroyed the Taborites at the Battle of Lipany on 30 May 1434. From that time, the Taborites lost their importance, though the Hussite movement would continue in Poland for another five years, until the Royalist forces of Poland defeated the Polish Hussites at the Battle of Grotniki . The state assembly of Jihlava in 1436 confirmed the "Compactata" and gave them

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1056-709: The Roman Church. This he refused, leading to the Bohemian–Hungarian War (1468–1478) . His successor, King Vladislaus II , favored the Roman Catholics and proceeded against some zealous clergymen of the Calixtines. The troubles of the Utraquists increased from year to year. In 1485, at the Diet of Kutná Hora , an agreement was made between the Roman Catholics and Utraquists that lasted for thirty-one years. It

1104-517: The Taborites now went over to the party of the Utraquists; the rest joined the "Brothers of the Law of Christ" ( Latin : "Unitas Fratrum" ) (see history of the Moravian Church ). In 1462, Pope Pius II declared the "Compacta" null and void, prohibited communion in both kinds, and acknowledged King George of Podebrady as king on condition that he would promise an unconditional harmony with

1152-461: The West to take up arms against the Hussites, declaring a crusade, and twelve years of warfare followed. The Hussites initially campaigned defensively, but after 1427 they assumed the offensive. Apart from their religious aims, they fought for the national interests of the Czechs. The moderate and radical parties were united, and they not only repelled the attacks of the army of crusaders but crossed

1200-516: The borders into neighboring countries. On March 23, 1430, Joan of Arc dictated a letter that threatened to lead a crusading army against the Hussites unless they returned to the Catholic faith, but her capture by English and Burgundian troops two months later would keep her from carrying out this threat. Eventually, the opponents of the Hussites found themselves forced to consider an amicable settlement. The Hussites were sent an invitation to attend

1248-522: The buildings were reconstructed at the beginning of the 18th century. The abbey church was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and Saint John the Baptist . It was built as a basilica with five naves between 1280 and 1330. Destroyed in 1421, it was rebuilt from 1699 to 1707 after designs by Paul Ignaz Bayer  [ de ] and Jan Santini Aichel . Another restoration, trying to preserve

1296-536: The civil authorities: Frederick III, Elector Palatine , named his brother Richard for this office. The monks were then forced to apostatize or flee, or were put to death. As a result, in 1543, the abbey lost its imperial immediacy to the Electorate of the Palatinate . For about a hundred years it remained in this condition, during which time it was almost completely burned down in the Thirty Years' War . After

1344-401: The country and Roman Catholic priests were reinstated. These measures caused a general commotion which hastened the death of King Wenceslaus by a paralytic stroke in 1419. His heir was Sigismund. The news of the death of King Wenceslaus in 1419 produced a great commotion among the people of Prague. A revolution swept over the country: churches and monasteries were destroyed, and church property

1392-469: The effects of this popular anger. The treatment of Hus was felt to be a disgrace inflicted upon the whole country and his death was seen as a criminal act. King Wenceslaus IV. , prompted by his grudge against Sigismund, at first gave free vent to his indignation at the course of events in Constance . His wife openly favoured the friends of Hus. Avowed Hussites stood at the head of the government. A league

1440-422: The enactments of the Council of Constance . He wished to eradicate completely the doctrine of Hus, for which purpose the co-operation of King Wenceslaus had to be obtained. In 1418, Sigismund succeeded in winning his brother over to the standpoint of the council by pointing out the inevitability of a religious war if the heretics in Bohemia found further protection. Hussite statesmen and army leaders had to leave

1488-581: The famines of 1702–03 and 1772–73, and during the French Revolution . Under Abbot Athanasius (1793–1803) science and learning were highly cultivated. When the monastery was dissolved and secularised under the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803 it had over eighty members, who were dispersed with state pensions from the Electorate of Bavaria . The abbey was sold, and used as a factory for making cotton. In 1864,

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1536-536: The oath, intercession for the dead, auricular Confession , indulgences , the sacraments of Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick , and chose their own priests. The radicals had their gathering-places all around the country. Their first armed assault fell on the small town of Ústí, on the river Lužnice, south of Prague (today's Sezimovo Ústí ). However, as the place did not prove to be defensible, they settled in

1584-541: The original appearance, was performed from 1854 to 1857. The Chapel of All Saints, next to the cemetery, was run from 1389 by a Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre . The building dates from around 1400, was rebuilt several times and remodeled in Baroque style in 1710 by Santini Aichel. It holds in its basement the Sedlec Ossuary . Waldsassen Abbey Waldsassen Abbey (German: Abtei Waldsassen )

1632-777: The permission of his former abbot Kuno , then Bishop of Regensburg , and built between 1128 and 1132. The original community was sent to Waldsassen from Volkenroda Abbey in Thuringia , of the line of Morimond Abbey . The first abbot was elected in 1133, making this one of the earliest Cistercian foundations. Soon the abbey became one of the most renowned and powerful of the times. As the number of monks increased, several important foundations were made at Senftenberg and Osek in Bohemia , at Walderbach , near Regensburg, and in other places. In 1147, Conrad III , King of Germany , granted it reichsunmittelbar status, making it an Imperial abbey . Several of its thirty-seven abbots up to

1680-405: The remains of an older town upon a hill not far away and founded a new town, which they named Tábor (a play on words, as "Tábor" not only meant "camp" or "encampment" in Czech , but is also the traditional name of the mountain on which Jesus was expected to return; see Mark 13 ); hence they were called Táborité ( Taborites ). They comprised the essential force of the radical Hussites. Their aim

1728-622: The remains of the old abbey were bought by the Cistercian nuns of Floh-Seligenthal , who in the following year took possession, established monastic enclosure, and opened a school for the education of girls . At first a priory, the nunnery was raised to the status of an abbey in 1925. The Stiftsbasilika was declared a basilica minor in 1969. The library was built in 1724-6 in late Baroque and early Rococo style. Richly and intricately carved shelves hold thousands of volumes bound in white pigskin and dark calfskin. Ten carved columns support

1776-514: The sanction of law. This accomplished the reconciliation of Bohemia with Rome and the Western Church, and at last Sigismund obtained possession of the Bohemian crown. His reactionary measures caused a ferment in the whole country, but he died in 1437. The state assembly in Prague rejected Wyclif's doctrine of the Lord's Supper, which was obnoxious to the Utraquists , as heresy in 1444. Most of

1824-494: The sanction of the law; but he refused, and approached the newly formed Roman Catholic League of lords, whose members pledged themselves to support the king, the Catholic Church , and the council. The prospect of a civil war began to emerge. Prior to becoming pope, Martin V , then known as Cardinal Otto of Colonna had attacked Hus with relentless severity. He energetically resumed the battle against Hus's teaching after

1872-473: The stake on 6 July 1415. The arrest of Hus in 1414 caused considerable resentment in Czech lands . The authorities of both countries appealed urgently and repeatedly to King Sigismund to release Jan Hus. When news of his death at the Council of Constance arrived, disturbances broke out, directed primarily against the clergy and especially against the monks. Even the Archbishop narrowly escaped from

1920-447: The understanding that Christ was entirely present in each kind, though on the condition that the rest of the Hussite reforms would no longer be emphasised. Free preaching was granted conditionally: the Church hierarchy had to approve and place priests, and the power of the bishop must be considered. The article which prohibited the secular power of the clergy was almost reversed. The Taborites refused to conform. The Calixtines united with

1968-502: The university and among the citizens of Prague; they were therefore called the Prague Party, but also Calixtines (Latin calix chalice) or Utraquists (Latin utraque both), because they emphasized the second article of Prague, and the chalice became their emblem. The more radical parties, the Taborites , Orebites and Orphans , identified itself more boldly with the doctrines of John Wycliffe , sharing his passionate hatred of

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2016-567: The whole hierarchical and liturgical order of the Church untouched. Their programme is contained in the Four Articles of Prague , which were written by Jacob of Mies and agreed upon in July 1420, promulgated in the Latin , Czech , and German languages. The full text is about two pages long, but they are often summarized as: The views of the moderate Hussites were widely represented at

2064-516: Was formed by certain lords, who pledged themselves to protect the free preaching of the Gospel upon all their possessions and estates and to obey the power of the Bishops only where their orders accorded with the injunctions of the Bible . The university would arbitrate any disputed points. The entire Hussite nobility joined the league. Other than verbal protest of the council's treatment of Hus, there

2112-438: Was little evidence of any actions taken by the nobility until 1417. At that point several of the lesser nobility and some barons, signatories of the 1415 protest letter, removed Catholic priests from their parishes, replacing them with priests willing to give communion in both wine and bread. The chalice of wine became the central identifying symbol of the Hussite movement. If the king had joined, its resolutions would have received

2160-734: Was only later, at the Diet of 1512, that the equal rights of both religions were permanently established. The appearance of Martin Luther was hailed by the Utraquist clergy, and Luther himself was astonished to find so many points of agreement between the doctrines of Hus and his own. But not all Utraquists approved of the German Reformation ; a schism arose among them, and many returned to the Roman doctrine, while other elements had organised

2208-699: Was rejected and gained infamy for the plundering behaviour of the Hussite soldiers. There were also very small temporary communities in Poland-Lithuania and Transylvania which moved to Bohemia after being confronted with religious intolerance. It was a regional movement that failed to expand farther. Hussites emerged as a majority Utraquist movement with a significant Taborite faction, and smaller regional ones that included Adamites , Orebites and Orphans . Major Hussite theologians included Petr Chelčický , Jerome of Prague . A number of Czech national heroes were Hussite, including Jan Žižka , who led

2256-638: Was seized by the Hussite nobility. It was then, and remained till much later, in question whether Bohemia was a hereditary or an elective monarchy, especially as the line through which Sigismund claimed the throne had accepted that the Kingdom of Bohemia was an elective monarchy elected by the nobles, and thus the regent of the kingdom ( Čeněk of Wartenberg ) also explicitly stated that Sigismund had not been elected as reason for Sigismund's claim to not be accepted. Sigismund could get possession of "his" kingdom only by force of arms. Pope Martin V called upon Catholics of

2304-485: Was to destroy the enemies of the law of God, and to defend his kingdom (which had been expected to come in a short time) by the sword. Their end-of-world visions did not come true. In order to preserve their settlement and spread their ideology, they waged bloody wars; in the beginning they observed a strict regime, inflicting the severest punishment equally for murder, as for less severe faults as adultery, perjury and usury , and also tried to apply rigid Biblical standards to

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