The Benedictine Convent

Beside the basilica is the former Benedictine convent, founded by Prince Boleslav’s sister Mlada, and the first convent of its kind in Bohemia. In the Middle Ages, together with the Basilica of St George, the convent was the central part of Prague Castle.

At the same time as the basilica, the convent underwent several reconstructions, and the first was between 1671 and 1680. During the reign of Emperor Josef II in 1782, the convent was closed and used as a barracks, and between 1962 and 1974 it was adapted to house part of the National Gallery. It formerly housed a collection of Czech art from the Gothic to Baroque periods and is now closed.