In the monastery that the post office sold, there will be a spring fashion week

Prague - In the complex of the former St. Gabriel's Monastery in Smíchov, which is a rare example of Beuron art, the spring part of the fashion event Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week will take place in March. Lucie Fialíková informed ČTK on behalf of the organizers. The Neo-Romanesque buildings in the gardens above Kinským Square were acquired from Czech Post in a November auction for 353 million crowns by the real estate group Cimex.

"We will complete the acquisition in January, after which we will publish short-term and long-term plans for the complex," said Marta Pražáková from Cimex, which focuses primarily on investments in hotels, to ČTK.

Although the complex was partially accessible, the public knows little about the vast Neo-Romanesque building. After the purchase, Cimex stated that it would begin preparing for reconstruction because the building is in very poor technical condition. The long-term society of friends of Beuron art draws attention to the uniqueness of the monument.

The complex consists of the former St. Gabriel's Abbey, which was managed by the post office, and the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, known as St. Gabriel's Church. St. Gabriel's Abbey was established at the end of the 19th century as the first women's convent of Benedictines of the Beuron congregation in Prague. In 1893, the monastery was elevated to the rank of abbey. In 1919, the Benedictines sold the monastery to the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs with the stipulation that the church would forever serve liturgical purposes. The state set up a check post office in the monastery, which operated there until 1931. The building has recently served various postal purposes.

"They (the new owners) contacted us right after the auction and offered cooperation, indicating that they wanted the church to remain a church," said Monica Bubna-Litic, chairwoman of the society, to ČTK. "We would like the monastery, where the original spaces and preserved murals are, to remain Beuron. They will sign a contract in a few months and then promised to discuss with us, as they would like to hear our opinion. They also wrote to us that they would like the church to continue to serve liturgical purposes," she said.

The Beuron Art School was founded in the late 19th century by Benedictines at the Beuron Archabbey near Sigmaringen in southern Germany. The historicizing artistic style was mainly used in the decoration of church buildings, such as colorful frescoes and mosaics.

The monks from Beuron relocated to the Emauz Monastery in Prague in 1880, where they operated until 1918. In addition to Emauz and the Smíchov monastery, examples of Beuron art in Prague include St. Ann's Church in Žižkov, the Church of the Holy Family in Řepy, and the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Zlíchov. Some monuments are located in Teplice, České Budějovice, Chrudim, and Prostějov.

Bubna-Litic added that the Smíchov monastery is an exceptionally well-preserved example of Beuron art. "The first generation of these monuments, namely Emauz, Beuron in Germany, and Monte Cassino in Italy, has essentially vanished. Our church, including the monastery, is therefore a globally unique memorial of the Beuron school. Other churches in Teplice or České Budějovice are already of the second generation, where the rules of the Beuron school were not strictly followed," she said.