The pilgrimage site of Saint Kopeček is a national monument, it will help with the restoration

Olomouc - The pilgrimage site of Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc, with the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, has become a national cultural monument. The government decided on this today. Heritage protectors and representatives of the Olomouc Archdiocese welcomed the inclusion on this list. According to the priest of the Svatý Kopeček parish, Petr Slaboch, this title should open the way to European subsidies and the long-planned repairs for one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Moravia. The site is visited annually by tens of thousands of pilgrims.

"The basilica at Svatý Kopeček is one of the most significant monuments in the region and the entire archdiocese; this pilgrimage site has attracted crowds of pilgrims for centuries, and it is a place of great historical and architectural value. The declaration as a national cultural monument will certainly help enhance the prestige of the site and raise awareness about it among people," said Jiří Gračka, spokesman for the Olomouc Archdiocese, to ČTK.

According to heritage protectors, the declaration places this site among cultural monuments that constitute the most important part of the nation's cultural wealth. "In this case, it is a legislative recognition of the factual state, where the pilgrimage site at Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc has belonged to the pillars of the spiritual history of Moravia for centuries, expressed in the rich artistic decoration of the baroque complex," said Vlastimil Staněk, spokesman for the Olomouc office of the National Heritage Institute, to ČTK.

The Svatý Kopeček complex is owned and operated by the Premonstratensians from Strahov. The basilica has undergone partial repairs, but many areas of the site are still in inadequate condition. Inclusion of the pilgrimage site among national cultural monuments should open the door to European subsidies for the long-planned restoration, with costs estimated at up to 120 million Czech korunas. "This is a prerequisite for us to be able to draw subsidies. I hope that subsidies will come here and we will be able to repair at least part of the complex. Visitors will appreciate it; several guided tours will be open, the spaces should be even more beautiful and functional. People will be able to access areas they have not reached before," said svatokopecký priest Petr Slaboch to ČTK.

The project anticipates the reconstruction of the basilica, the so-called representative spaces in the right wing, the residence, and the cloisters. After extensive reconstruction, some areas are also to be made accessible to visitors, such as the so-called Holy Stairs, which represent a significant pilgrimage site, or the historic library. The plan also includes the restoration of historical sculptures and paintings, the reconstruction of altars, stained glass, and historical floors.

The history of this pilgrimage site began in the early 17th century when the Olomouc merchant Jan Andrýsek had a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary built at this location. Due to the increasing number of pilgrims, the Premonstratensians from Hradisko built a spacious church from 1669 to 1679 according to the design of the Wallachian architect Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. The temple was elevated to the status of a minor basilica by papal decree in April 1995 and honored with a papal visit on May 21 of the same year.

In the Olomouc region, there are 13 immovable cultural monuments and one movable - the Šternberk Madonna. This list includes, for example, the Bouzov Castle, Šternberk, the paper mill in Velké Losiny, the Monastery of Hradisko in Olomouc, Jánský Vrch Castle, the castle in Velké Losiny, the Primavesi Villa in Olomouc, or the ensemble of baroque fountains and columns in Olomouc.