The Plzeň Region completed the Baroque ambits of the pilgrimage site of Mariánská Týnice

Mariánský Týnec – The Plzeň Region has completed the eastern ambulatorium and chapel of the Baroque pilgrimage complex Mariánská Týnice in northern Plzeň for 58 million crowns. The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the former Cistercian provostry is a national cultural monument. The new ambulatorium follows the design of Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, which was left unfinished about 300 years ago. "It is a world unique," said the deputy of the governor, Marek Ženíšek (TOP 09), to ČTK. The construction, which began in 2017, was delayed due to the pandemic.

The eastern ambulatorium and chapel completed the entire complex into a symmetrical whole according to the original plans. On the pseudo-frescoes, which look Baroque, are the faces of the people who contributed to the project. According to Irena Bukačová, the director of the regional Museum and Gallery of Northern Plzeň, which is located in the Baroque complex, it is a miracle. The completed ambulatorium mirrors the western part, and there are now a total of eight chapels standing there. The construction was financed with more than 42 million Kč from the European IROP program, nearly 14 million was provided by the region, and 1.4 million Kč by the museum. It will be part of a new tour route.



Ženíšek highly appreciated that the region was able to reach an agreement with heritage protectors, despite many critics rejecting the intervention into the monument in a modern way. "I believe that a path has been found that satisfies everyone and corresponds to Santini's vision, and finally, the complex is probably as it should have been from the beginning, only it wasn't completed in time," he stated. According to Plzeň architect Jan Soukup, who designed the project according to Santini's plans, the new wing fits perfectly into the complex from the outside.

According to Bukačová, the century-long effort for the rehabilitation and development of Mariánská Týnice will be a lasting legacy for future generations. "The value that has been created far exceeds the financial costs. The significance of the monument transcends our time and is a permanent contribution of beauty, harmony, and spiritual strength to the Czech landscape. Completing the project after three centuries is undoubtedly a miracle, one of those that have happened and are happening in this place," she stated.

In addition to the fact that the complex is now architecturally closed, the church has been made accessible via a separate route that can be used for public cultural events. The poor condition of the adjacent chapel of the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was also addressed, restoring both the exterior and interior of the monument and the gardens, expanding the surveillance and security system, and digitizing the monument and its furnishings for online access.

Mariánská Týnice has been a national cultural monument since 2018. After the dome of the church collapsed in 1920, efforts to rescue it began even during the First Republic, but were interrupted by war and then totalitarianism. The dome repair was only achieved after the fall of the communist regime, and it was restored after 80 years. From 1993 up until the start of the construction of the eastern ambulatorium, over 40 million Kč was spent there. The former Cistercian pilgrimage site, which includes the church, a multi-story provostry building, and ambulatories with frescoes, was built between 1711 and 1768. Since the monastery's dissolution in 1784, there has been no use found for the complex, and it has been deteriorating.