ÿþ<html> <head> <title>The Pilgrimage Church of St John Nepomuk near the town of Zdar nad Sazavou, about Unesco Heritage Town!</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="town-styles.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="nav-bar.css" /> </head> <body> <h2>The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk</h2> <p><strong>This pilgrimage church near the town of }ár nad Sázavou (listed by UNESCO in 1994) was built in the early 18th century in honour of the Czech saint John of Nepomuk. The abbot of the local Cistercian monastery had the idea to build it, but the actual architect behind this uniquely designed church and surrounding buildings was the Baroque genius, Jan Bla~ej Santini-Aichl. This UNESCO-listed site is an example of original Czech Gothic Baroque architecture from the early 18th century. </strong></p> <p>The history of the town of }ár nad Sázavou is closely linked with the local Cistercian monastery, founded here in the 13th century. The abbot of the monastery, Václav Vejmluva, had the pilgrimage Church on the  Green Hill built in 1719 in honour of the Czech martyr and saint, John of Nepomuk. The church is testament to the genius of the Prague architect, Jan Bla~ej Santini who incorporated the 5-pointed star into the building as according to legend, a crown of five stars appeared over the body of the drowned martyr. The 5-pointed star appears throughout the Gothic Baroque building (the layout is star-shaped, the church has five exits, there are five stars on the altar and five angels). The main altar by XehoYe Theny shows the martyr being carried up to heaven by angels. The side altars are dedicated to the four evangelists, depicted in a strange swirl of flames. The dome is decorated with one of the symbols associated with St John of Nepomuk, a huge tongue. Jan Bla~ej Santini s work captures the onlooker s attention with its originality and superb craftsmanship which mixes Baroque and Gothic elements into one unique structure.</p> <p>The Cistercian Monastery of the Virgin Mary (now owned by Dr. Radslav Kinský) was begun in 1252 by Bo ek of ObYany and continued by the great feudal lord Smil of Lichtenburk. The first monks arrived here from the monastery in Nepomuk. The monastery s heyday came in the mid 18th century during the abbotship of Václav Vejmluva, during which architect Jan Bla~ej Santini gave the whole complex a Baroque makeover. Santini also designed many other buildings in the area such as the church in Oby tov and the inn in Ostrov. When the monastery was abolished in 1784 the buildings were turned into a farm and chateau.</p> <p>At present visitors can see several interesting exhibitions in the chateau. The best-known of these is the Bokk Museum, the largest of its kind in Europe. Then there is the permanent exhibition entitled  300 Years of the Piano , an exhibition on the life of Santini, the Kinský Gallery and other temporary exhibitions.</p> <p>}ár nad Sázavou is situated around 120km from Prague just off the main Prague Brno motorway.</p> <br /> <br /> <div id="navbar"> <ul><li><a href="index.html" class="current">Home</a></li> </div> </body> </html>