The Pilsen Region has completed the construction of the Baroque ambulatory in Mariánské Týnice for 60 million

Mariánský Týnec – The Plzeň region has completed the construction of the eastern cloister and chapel of the Baroque pilgrimage complex of Mariánská Týnice in the Plzeň area, costing almost 60 million crowns. The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary with the former Cistercian provostship is a national cultural monument. The new cloister follows the design of Jan Blažej Santini, which he left unfinished about 300 years ago. It is set to open at the end of May. Everyone is looking forward to it; it is a world unique, said Marek Ženíšek (TOP 09), the deputy governor, to ČTK.

It was originally supposed to open last year, but completion was postponed to this spring due to the pandemic, with a ceremony planned for June 4. "Everything will be finished by the end of May. It is still unclear whether there will be a ceremonial opening and in what form, depending on the Covid situation," said Ženíšek.

The eastern cloister and chapel have enclosed the entire complex into a symmetrical whole according to Santini's original plans. The fresco decoration, meaning pseudofrescos that look Baroque, is also completed. They feature the faces of people who have contributed to the monument.

According to Irena Bukačová, director of the regional Museum and Gallery of Northern Plzeň, which is located in the Baroque complex, it is an exceptional project. The completed cloister mirrors the western part, and there are now eight chapels standing in total. Its construction, which took 2.5 years, was financed by the European IROP program and the Plzeň region. It will be part of a new tour circuit.

"Only small details are being finished around it. The construction was done beautifully," said Ženíšek. He considers it a very good step that the region managed to reach an agreement with heritage conservationists, despite numerous critics rejecting the intervention in the monument in a modern way. "I think a path was found that satisfies everyone and corresponds to the ideas Santini had, and finally, it is (the complex) probably as it should have been from the beginning, just that it wasn’t completed," he stated. According to Plzeň architect Jan Soukup, the new wing fits perfectly into the complex when viewed from the outside. According to Ženíšek, it was the largest heritage project in the region last year.

Mariánská Týnice has been a national cultural monument since 2018. After the church dome collapsed in 1920, efforts to save it began even during the First Republic, but these efforts were interrupted by war and then totalitarianism. The dome repair was only addressed after the fall of the communist regime. From 1993 until the commencement of the eastern cloister construction, over 40 million crowns was allocated there. The former Cistercian pilgrimage site, which includes the church, the provost’s multi-story building, and cloisters with frescoes, was built between 1711 and 1768. Since the monastery was abolished in 1784, no use has been found for the complex, and it fell into disrepair.