overview opening hours admission about the place The originally Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist was built in a mere 30 years at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries on the layout of a Latin cross. For many centuries, the monumental cathedral was the largest sacral building in the territory of the present-day Czech Republic. At the same time, it is one of the brightest Gothic cathedrals ever owing to its 106 windows, the largest of which is 14 metres high, located in the west façade of the cathedral. The western façade, where the main entrance to the church is located, is the most interesting in terms of architectural design. It was designed by the Baroque architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, who embellished it with German cathedral elements in a unique building style called Baroque Gothic at the beginning of the 18th century. He also wove unique self-supporting building elements into the building - a vault called the “Czech pancake” and a spiral staircase. The ticket includes the Cathedral of the Assumption + the Ossuary in the underground of the Church of All Saints. more about the place opening hours april—september mon—sat 9:00—18:00 sun 11:00—18:00 october mon—sat 9:00—17:00 sun 11:00—17:00 november—february mon—sat 9:00—16:00 sun 11:00—16:00 march mon—sat 9:00—17:00 sun 11:00—17:00 more about opening hours admission basic 220 CZK reduced 150 CZK The ticket includes the Cathedral of the Assumption + the Ossuary in the underground of the Church of All Saints. Tickets to Sedlec monuments can only be purchased online or at the Sedlec Information Centre, 279 Zámecká Street. There is also a combined ticket including the Cathedral of St. Barbara. more about admission Source: www.sedlec.info/katedrala admission basic 220 CZK reduced 150 CZK The ticket includes the Cathedral of the Assumption + the Ossuary in the underground of the Church of All Saints. Tickets to Sedlec monuments can only be purchased online or at the Sedlec Information Centre, 279 Zámecká Street. There is also a combined ticket including the Cathedral of St. Barbara. full admission price list tours Sedlec monuments can be visited individually without a guide during opening hours. Printed materials are available for purchase onsite and audio guide headphones are available for a fee of CZK 20. However, if you would prefer a guided tour, you must book a guide on the website. The guide fee does not include the entrance fee. With a guide: • Daily tour of the cathedral • Daily guided tour of the ossuary • The genius SANTINI • Night tours take place after normal opening hours, usually after dark. The guide is dressed in the costume of a Cistercian monk or nun, the premises of the ossuary and the cathedral are lit only by hundreds of candles. Bonus in the form of a closing organ concert. Night tours of the cathedral and ossuary must be booked at least 14 days in advance at info@sedlec.info. Night tour of Sedlec – Tour 77 Night tour of the cathedral Night tour of the ossuary opening hours april—september mon—sat 9:00—18:00 sun 11:00—18:00 october mon—sat 9:00—17:00 sun 11:00—17:00 november—february mon—sat 9:00—16:00 sun 11:00—16:00 march mon—sat 9:00—17:00 sun 11:00—17:00 The Sedlec cathedral is the oldest cathedral-type sacral building in Central Europe and the longest cathedral in the Czech Republic. Compared to other churches of this size, which usually took centuries to build, it was built in the shortest time (only 30 years). The cathedral was the main place of worship of the Cistercian order, which preached purity, humility and a return to simplicity, a philosophy that was certainly reflected in the architectural design of the church interior. In 1783, the monastery was dissolved and the church was further modified, changing the original colour of the walls and floor to the current one. Most of the Baroque furnishings were sold at public auction after the dissolution of the monastery, but some of the artworks, including paintings by Petr Brandl, a statue of the Sedlec Madonna and many other precious artefacts, were preserved in the church and decorate it to this day. The oldest Gothic monstrance in the world is also on display in the Treasury. The cathedral was inscribed on the UNESCO list of tangible heritage in 1995. The nearby (approx. 5 min. walk) Gothic two-storey Church of All Saints with an ossuary was built in the first half of the 14th century on the grounds of the former Cistercian monastery in the middle of a large dark cemetery. From the outset, the church was designed and built so that the lower chapel was below ground level to meet the conditions of Christian burial. Originally, the skeletal remains were only loosely deposited around the perimeter of the lower chapel. It is unclear when the first decorations using these remains were created. Architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, who renovated the church in the first half of the 18th century and decorated the lower chapel in the then fashionable Baroque style, is now considered to be the author of the concept of the skeletal decoration.