Strahov Monastery’s Theological Hall
Strahov Monastery is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1143 by Bishop Jindřich Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Duke Vladislav II. It is located in Strahov, Prague, Czech Republic. In 1670 Jeroným Hirnheim, a philosopher and theologian became the abbot of Strahov. His greatest work, which has survived to the present days, was the building of the new library, so-called Theological Hall (seen above) completed in 1679.
Strahov is one of the oldest Premonstratensian monasteries still in existence in the world. Since its establishment in 1143 it has been a working concern more or less continuously. It has survived fires, wars, revolutions and the wrath of various regimes, but whenever the members of the order couldn’t live in their monastery buildings, they gathered in other places until they were allowed to return. Today around 70 monks live a quiet life here. [Source]
The Strahov Library houses over 200,000 volumes, of which 3,000 are original manuscripts. The library is made up of two halls (Theological Hall and Philosophical Hall) linked by a passageway. The Theological Hall with its impressive stuccowork contains mostly literature of a theological nature and thousands of editions of the Bible. [Source]
