Hrdly - Benedictine Castle

Baroque castle with a farm yard in the village of Hrdly, built on the site of a Renaissance residence in 1746-1747 by the Břevnov monastery according to the project of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer

The village of Hrdly belonged to the Břevnov monastery from the earliest times. The first mention of a manor house in Hrdly dates back to 1620, when "the village with a yard and a residence" was bought from the Estates by Václav Vilém of Roupov in Žitenice. During the wars for the Austrian inheritance, the village and the manor were plundered in 1742 and 1744.

The damaged Renaissance mansion was replaced in 1746-1747 by a Baroque castle built according to the project of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. It included a farmyard and a park.

Detailed information

History

The village of Hrdly belonged to the Břevnov monastery from the earliest times. The first written mention of the village dates back to 993 and is found in the list of villages that Prince Boleslav II gave to the Benedictine monastery in Břevnov, which was just being founded. However, it is a younger forgery, and other reports date back to the fourteenth century. The village remained in the possession of the monastery until the beginning of the Hussite wars.

From 1425 Hrdly belonged to William of Konice. The Břevnov monastery bought the Hrdly estate out of pledge in 1523 and later built a Renaissance chateau there.

In 1546, King Ferdinand I registered the village with the town of Litoměřice, but the following year the town lost it for its participation in the Estates Uprising in 1547. The monarch then returned Hrdly to the Břevnov monastery, which kept it until the Estates' uprising in 1618-1620.

The first mention of a manor house in Hrdly dates back to 1620, when "the village with a yard and a residence" was bought from the Estates by Václav Vilém of Roupov in Žitenice.

In 1621, after the suppression of the Estates Revolt, the property of Václav of Roupov was confiscated and Hrdly was returned to the Břevnov Monastery.

During the wars for the Austrian inheritance, the village and its court were plundered in 1742 and 1744.

The damaged Renaissance mansion was replaced in 1746-1747 by a Baroque castle built according to the project of Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. It included a farmyard and a park.

The reconstruction included the construction of a Baroque sculpture of St. Benedict in the square in front of the castle, the work of sculptor Karl Josef Hiernle from 1745. The design of the pedestal was made by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.

The chateau burnt down in 1824 and as a result of the fire part of the artistic decoration of the grounds was destroyed. It was later rebuilt in a not very successful manner. Today, the castle is used for residential purposes. Its current condition is poor.

Architecture

The Renaissance mansion consisted of a one-storey building covered with a shingle roof with a clock tower. Inside there was a chapel of St. Thomas, cellars with a refrigerator, a hall, a pantry, a kitchen and six rooms.

After the Baroque reconstruction, the castle acquired a rectangular plan with a quadrilateral tower on the roof and a short cross wing on the west. The ground-floor rooms are vaulted and cross vaulted. Adjacent to the tower is the castle chapel, highlighted by a pair of pilasters on both facades. It is entered from the courtyard through a rectangular portal with a supraport and is illuminated by a large casul window. The interior is vaulted with a plaque vault with lateral fields of vaulting with chamfered corners. The vault is decorated with fresco paintings of Bohemian patrons.

Current

The owner of the complex is currently still the Benedictine Archabbey of St. Vojtěch and St. Margaret in Prague - Břevnov. The premises are not open to the public, the interior has been converted into flats.

In 2006, the Baroque forge in the eastern part of the inner courtyard was demolished.

Owners / users

Benediktinské arciopatství sv. Vojtěcha a sv. Markéty
Tel.: +420 220 406 111
E-mail: klaster[ZAVINÁČ]brevnov[TEČKA]cz
www.brevnov.cz
17. September 2017

Sources

Title / author Date of citation Place and year of publication
Hrdly (zámek) (Wikipedia) 16.9.2017

Map of the place and surroundings Open on mapy.cz

GPS: 50.4846506N, 14.1692764E
Zámek Hrdly