The church wants to repair the monastery near Králíky and is applying for grants

Králíky – The Roman Catholic Church is preparing to repair the monastery at Mount Mother of God near Králíky in the Orlickoústecko region. The site has been a national cultural monument since 2018. The costs are expected to be 70 million crowns, and the diocese is applying for European funding. Work could start as early as next year, stated the Pardubice region in a press release.

Most of the costs should be covered by a grant from the Integrated Operational Program, which the diocese is applying for. The regional government is likely to provide financial assistance to the church.

"Pardubice region will be ready to financially support this project because the monastery is a unique ecclesiastical monument of national significance and an important tourist destination. Unfortunately, its technical condition has deteriorated in recent years, so something needs to be done," said Governor Martin Netolický (3PK/ČSSD).

According to Bishop Jan Vokál, the region is very attentive to the protection of cultural heritage, including spiritual monuments, and takes into account that they are not just a memory of the past but still serve people in the region. The Hradec Králové diocese manages church matters in the Central Bohemian, Hradec Králové, and Pardubice regions.

The pilgrimage site near Králíky has belonged to the Roman Catholic Church since 2013. It previously belonged to the Redemptorists, who were returned the site in 1990. The Hradec Králové diocese took over the complex in 2013 from the Redemptorist order.

The pilgrimage complex was founded at the end of the 17th century by Tobias Jan Becker, a native of Králíky. The entire complex including the church was completed in 1710. In the mid-19th century, the monastery was destroyed by fire. Little of the baroque decoration remains. The repairs took only a year, and the furnishings were restored at the end of the century in a neo-Renaissance style.

Germans used the neighboring Pilgrimage House during World War II. In 1950, the communist regime established an internment camp for male religious in the monastery. The pilgrimage site reopened to the faithful in 1968.

The spiritual administration has been gradually repairing the monastery even without significant grants. Since 2020, the Pilgrimage House has been under reconstruction, offering accommodation and a restaurant. The entrance to the pilgrimage site has also been remodeled. There is a visitor center with a shop. A new entrance gate with a covered seating area has been created from the former garages.