The former Dominican monastery in Znojmo was purchased by the Premonstratensians from Nová Říše

Znojmo - The area of the former Dominican monastery in Znojmo on Dolní Česká street has been purchased from the Dominicans by the Premonstratensians from Nová Říše in the Jihlava region. The monastery will retain offices and medical practices; the Premonstratensians intend to renovate the back part and find new uses for it, reported the spokesperson of Znojmo, Pavel Kovařík, in a press release. However, the Premonstratensians will not take over the spiritual administration in the Church of the Holy Cross.

The Dominicans had been offering the monastery for sale for several years. "We do not have one specific intention yet, and we even think that the back part of the monastery could function for several purposes simultaneously. It could be small apartments for young families or self-sufficient seniors; there could be a children's group, a kindergarten, accommodation, but also a café or studios for artists," said the provost (a priest responsible for the economic administration) of the monastery in Nová Říše, Štěpán Jiří Novák.

The reasons for the purchase were mainly economic. "We own nearly 1000 hectares of forest land, which has been primarily harvested due to the bark beetle calamity and drought, with 70 percent already cut down. We are gradually reforesting these areas, but the yield from the new forest plantations will benefit future generations of monks. To endure until then, we must be self-sufficient from other sources of operation, which is why we decided to purchase the Znojmo monastery," Novák stated.

According to the abbot of the Nová Říše monastery, Marian Rudolf Kosík, the Premonstratensians do not intend to take over the spiritual administration in the church. "We have no ambitions or personnel capacity to take it over. There are seven of us in the Nová Říše canonry. We manage parishes near the monastery and four parishes in the Brno area," Kosík stated.

The parish building remains the property of the Dominicans for their use and also for the needs of local parishioners and the parish office. "Although we have different missions and different habits, I believe that the brothers in white will also be good neighbors in Znojmo," said the prior of the Dominican monastery, Damián Němec, referring to the white color of the habit typical of both orders.

The monastery is also a place where social events are held; for instance, this year there was a social evening during the grape harvest. "We have been in contact with the Premonstratensians for some time now, and we are pleased that they want to continue the good work that is associated with the monastery. We agree with them on some visions regarding the further operation of the monastery, such as organizing cultural and social events," said the mayor, Ivana Solařová (ANO).