Podlažice

In the Chrudim district, on the left bank of the Žejbro river, about a kilometre from the town of Chrast, you will find the village of Podlažice. On its outskirts, you can still see the buildings of a defunct Benedictine monastery from 1159. The founder of the monastery is considered to be the nobleman Vrbata of Kostelc. The monks worked side by side with nuns in the monastery, which was a common phenomenon in the 11th and 12th centuries. The monks transcribed various books, the most famous of which is the Codex Gigas – the Devil’s Bible – the largest medieval manuscript written in Latin in Europe. It contains 310 sheets of parchment, with pages measuring 890 × 490 mm. A copy of the book is housed in the Chrast City Museum, while the original adorns the Royal Collections in Stockholm. The monastery was destroyed in 1421 by Hussite troops and was never rebuilt. In 1696, a baroque church of St. Margaret was built on the site of the former monastery and consecrated in 1721. Milčín built a new monastery, but due to lack of funds only the Baroque church was realized. There are two churches directly in Chrast. The main one is the Baroque church on the square dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The smaller church of St. Martin is located in the local cemetery, where the tombs of important citizens and some bishops of Hradec Králové are located. The church is of an unusual shape with a former ossuary and bricked-up tombstones. The famous architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel was probably involved in the construction of both churches. Almost every visitor who loves unspoilt nature will head to the Žejbro stream, which leads excursionists to Podskály, a picturesque village where the Baroque church of St. John the Baptist stands. In this place, a perpendicular rock wall about 30 metres high rises above the Žejbro stream. On its top lies the village of Skála, from where visitors can comfortably return to Chrast. Are you bored and have you already been somewhere? Chrast is waiting for you!