Whispers of miracles still linger here. This is the Františkanský klášter v Hájku.
The Františkanský klášter v Hájku a Franciscan monastery isn’t just a building. It’s a living testament to faith resilience and history. Nestled in a tranquil grove near Červený Újezd it stands as a beacon of spirituality. Its story begins centuries ago.
The land was once barren fields. A lone oak and a slender fir offered scant shade. Then in 1589 a visionary nobleman Gothard Florián Žďárský planted a grove. It became a private hunting ground for the Žďárský family. Their grandson Florian Jetřich had a dream. He desired a son and a way to thank Emperor Ferdinand II. He vowed to build a Loreto chapel if his prayers were answered.
His wife bore him a son František Adam Eusebius. In 1623 the cornerstone of the Loreto chapel was laid in Hájku’s sacred grove. The chapel was a near-perfect replica of the Holy House in Loreto Italy. It became an instant pilgrimage site. People traveled from across Bohemia to pay homage. The Františkanský klášter v Hájku’s early chapel was tragically destroyed. It was quickly replaced. The new structure was consecrated in 1630.
For over three decades a hermit tended the site. Then in 1659 František Adam Eusebius the son of Florian Jetřich founded a large Franciscan monastery next to the chapel. Talented architects Carlo Lurago and Giovanni Domenico Orsi designed it. František himself had private chambers within the monastery’s walls. He often stayed there. The monastery’s construction continued after his death in 1670. It was completed by the Martinic family.
A pilgrimage path linked Prague’s Strahov Monastery to Hájku. Dozens of wayside chapels lined the fourteen-kilometer route. Many survive to this day. They are slowly being restored. In its heyday the site attracted tens of thousands of pilgrims annually.
The 20th century brought significant events. The monastery served as an archive during World War II. It sheltered documents from other religious orders. Remarkably it survived both Nazi occupation and the Communist regime’s Action K. For a time it became a forced labor camp for clergy. The experience is described in the book “Šéfe, znáte Deliv?” by Father Pavel Zíbal. He recounts daily mass and hard labor in the fields and within the monastery itself.
The Františkanský klášter v Hájku was returned to the Franciscans in the 1990s. Since then restoration efforts have revitalized the monastery and its surroundings. Today the Františkanský klášter v Hájku welcomes visitors. It’s a place for peace reflection and a glimpse into centuries of faith and history. The whispers of miracles continue a legacy of devotion. They resonate throughout the walls of this remarkable place. The Františkanský klášter v Hájku.