Stará Boleslav - Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Stara Boleslav, the oldest Marian pilgrimage site in Bohemia, was built on the site of an older Gothic shrine - the Church of the Virgin Mary and St. George founded by Provost Zbutek of Kolowrat, which is mentioned as early as around 1098.

The local chapter of St. Cosmas and Damian was responsible for the construction of the new church due to the increasing number of pilgrims, with significant financial support from Emperor Matthias I, his wife Anna of Tyrol and the Catholic nobility.

Founded by Empress Anna of Tyrol, the church was probably built by the Italian architect Giovanni Maria Filippi under the direction of Jacob de Vaccani between 1613 and 1625 in the style of early Baroque Romanesque churches. In 1627 Joachim the Elder Slavata built a courtyard with railings around the church and a well.

After the outbreak of the Bohemian Estates Uprising in 1618, work was temporarily suspended. After 1620, the construction was restarted and in 1623 the building work was completed. The main façade with the entrance terrace was built in 1627. During the Thirty Years' War the church was sacked six times. The construction of the towers was therefore delayed considerably. The north tower of the church was built according to a design by Abraham Leuthner in 1674-1675.

In 1690 the church was consecrated for the first time.

In 1727 the church was paved with marble slabs.

According to the design of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, in 1728-1732, the ambyts behind the eastern end of the church were built, the side entrances to the church were pierced, new paving of the terrace around the church, balustrade railings and stairs were purchased.

In 1736-1737 the west front of the church was modified according to the design of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. A tall window was punched into the west wall and a smaller, transversely oval window above it. In 1748-1749 the south tower of the church was built according to the design of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.

The main altar was made in 1717-1723 according to the design of František Maxmilián Kaňka. The sculptural decoration comes from the workshop of Matthias Bernard Braun.

In 1775, Josef Kramolín painted the ambulatory with murals depicting the history of the Old Boleslav Palladium, its miracles and themes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

In the Baroque period, Stará Boleslav became our most important pilgrimage site, which for centuries was also associated with the person of St. Wenceslas. The church was cared for by the Jesuits until it was closed down. Then the local chapter, which has been present in Boleslav since the 11th century, took over the administration again.

During the First Republic, specifically from 1929, the Redemptorists took care of the pilgrimage site. Their blessed activity was violently interrupted by the communist regime in 1950 and the administration was taken over by a greatly reduced and disempowered chapter. In practice, this meant the assignment of two priests, one with the title of Chapter Dean and one parish priest.

It was only after 1990 that the chapter was re-established, but it was composed of non-resident canons. In 2003-2008, the Pallotini Fathers briefly took over the administration of the church and parish. At present, the spiritual care of the church and parish is entrusted to diocesan priests.

Note: Kilian Ignatius Dientzenhofer also designed the chapter rectory building opposite the church and the nearby church of Bl. Podiven.

The area of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is situated in the eastern part of the historical centre of Stara Boleslav. The core of the complex consists of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with two prismatic towers topped with onion towers. The building rests on a low, rectangular brick terrace, bordered by a stone balustrade. In front of the west front, the church has a terrace paved with stone slabs, which is reached by an eight-step staircase. The eastern part of the church is joined by the three-winged arcades of the ambulatory, enclosing an almost square courtyard.

In front of the main entrance to the church, at the western end of the complex, stands a bronze statue of Christ blessing on a graduated pedestal.

The interior of the single-nave church with side chapels in niches is dominated by the main altar, made in 1717-1723 to a design by František Maxmilián Kaňka. The sculptural decoration comes from the workshop of Matthias Bernard Braun. The main western facade of the church is decorated with statues of the Czech provincial patrons St. Wenceslas, St. Ludmila, St. Vojtěch and St. Prokop from 1737 and statues of St. John of Nepomuk and Blessed Podiven from around 1760.

The six side niche chapels, named after individual donor noble families, are richly decorated with sculpture and paintings. Later modifications did not interfere much with the architecture; they were more a matter of repair and maintenance. In 1819 and 1820 a new roof was added to the church. Major repairs were carried out in 1925.

The church complex is one of the most valuable early Baroque buildings in Bohemia and forms a transition between Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

The interior decoration dates from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Palladium
The most precious treasure preserved for centuries in the basilica is the relief of the Madonna called the Palladium of the Bohemian Land, a metal relief of immense historical value, associated with the St. Wenceslas tradition. It is a metal relief from the middle of the 12th century (when it was rediscovered or ploughed in a field in 1160) made of Corinthian copper (an alloy of gold, silver, platinum and copper). According to Christian tradition, its fate has been linked to St. Ludmila and St. Wenceslas, Prince Bořivoj and Saints Cyril and Methodius. Prince Wenceslas is also said to have worn it on a belt around his neck and it is painted on the St. Wenceslas weathervanes.

The interior of the single-nave church with side chapels in niches is dominated by the main altar made in 1717-1723 according to the design of František Maxmilián Kaňka. The sculptural decoration comes from the workshop of Matyáš Bernard Braun. The main western facade of the church is decorated with statues of the Czech provincial patrons St. Wenceslas, St. Ludmila, St. Vojtěch and St. Prokop from 1737 and statues of St. John of Nepomuk and Blessed Podiven from around 1760.

The six side niche chapels, named after individual donor noble families, are richly decorated with sculpture and paintings.

In 1775, Josef Kramolín painted the ambyts with murals depicting the history of the Old Boleslav Palladium, its miracles and themes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

In 1995, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was declared a national cultural monument.

At present, the spiritual care of the church and parish is entrusted to the diocesan priests of the Collegiate Chapter of St. Cosmas and Damian in Stara Boleslav.