The Velehrad Basilica is awaiting the next stage of reconstruction

Zlín - The next stage of repairs awaits the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saints Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad in the coming years. At a cost of over 35 million crowns, the interior of the monument will be restored and new lighting installed. The project is expected to be financed from the so-called Norwegian funds of the European Economic Area. The necessary 15% co-financing amounting to 5.3 million crowns will be covered by the Zlín region, said Governor Libor Lukáš to reporters today.
    According to him, the region has long supported the repairs of the basilica and will allocate funds for the years 2009 and 2010. "We signed a partnership agreement with the Roman Catholic parish of Velehrad three years ago. At that time, we agreed to be a partner in the first stage of the reconstruction of the basilica. This is now costing us about three million crowns," Lukáš stated. He added that the previous project was successful and that the application for a grant for the next stage of reconstruction has a good chance of succeeding.
    The demanding repair of the Velehrad basilica began in 2005 by the parish. The first significant changes were made to the sixty-meter towers, which had been waiting for restoration for 105 years. The project is divided over several years. In total, the reconstruction, which also includes the surrounding area, will require approximately 250 million crowns.
    Last year, workers completed the repair of the main roof of the Velehrad basilica, the envelope of the transept of the cathedral, and renovated the first floor, including the water, sewage, and electrical installations. In the future, the parish church will also be renovated, and a multipurpose building with a museum, bookshop, or information center is planned to be created in the granary and stable. For example, several kilometers of perimeter walls, facades, and the organ inside the basilica also need to be renovated.
    Velehrad is one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in Moravia. Its history began over 800 years ago when 12 Cistercian monks arrived in the valley to build their monastery near the village of Veligrad, now known as Staré Město. It quickly became a bearer of a much older spiritual tradition that dates back to the 9th century, when Slavic missionaries Cyril and Methodius came to Moravia.