The oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest monasteries in the Czech Republic
Prague's Old-New Synagogue, built around 1270, is the oldest synagogue in Europe still used for its original purpose. The oldest monastery in Bohemia is St George's Convent at Prague Castle, the oldest for men is Břevnov. What is documented, what is legend and what you can see today.
Czech heritage records · the oldest synagogues and monasteries
Short answer: Prague's Old-New Synagogue, built around 1270, is the oldest synagogue in Europe still used for its original purpose. An older surviving synagogue building stands in Erfurt, but it is a museum.
The oldest monastery in Bohemia is the Benedictine St George's Convent at Prague Castle, from the 970s. The oldest monastery for men is Břevnov from 993, and in Moravia it is Rajhrad.
Synagogues and monasteries are both places of prayer, and in the Czech Republic both hold European firsts or at least records that people often ask about: “the oldest synagogue in Europe”, “the oldest monastery in the Czech Republic”, “the oldest monastery for men in Bohemia”. Even the managers of these sites word their claims differently, so for each claim we say who makes it and exactly how.
The Old-New Synagogue: the oldest active synagogue in Europe
The Old-New Synagogue in Prague's Josefov was built in the last third of the 13th century. It is usually dated to around 1270; Arno Pařík of the Jewish Museum dates it from its carved decoration rather to around 1275. The exact year is unknown.
What exactly makes it “the oldest”? The English website of the Jewish Museum in Prague calls it “the oldest extant synagogue in Europe”, the Czech version of the same site more cautiously “one of the oldest”. Prague's tourist portal calls it the oldest synagogue in Central Europe. Safe and consistent is this: it is the oldest synagogue in Europe still in use as a synagogue, and the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of the twin-nave type. It is the main synagogue of the Jewish Community of Prague. Services were not held here only during the Nazi occupation, in 1942–1945.
Why it is not simply “the oldest”
- Erfurt (Germany) has an older surviving synagogue building, with its oldest parts from around 1094. After the pogrom of 1349, however, it served as a warehouse for more than 500 years and has been a museum since 2009.
- Worms (Germany) was founded earlier, but the Nazis destroyed the synagogue on 9 November 1938 and today's building is a 1961 reconstruction.
- Toledo (Spain) and Sopron (Hungary) have very old synagogues that ceased to be synagogues long ago.
So Prague is exceptional because it has served as a synagogue for more than 700 years, interrupted only during the occupation.
Why “Old-New”
The documented explanation is simple. The synagogue was originally called the New or Great School, because an older synagogue, which has not survived, stood nearby. When further synagogues were built in Josefov in the late 16th century, it began to be called the Old-New (Altneuschul in German). The legend is better known: the Hebrew al tnai means “on condition” and sounds like the German Altneu. According to the legend, angels brought stones from the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem on condition that they would be returned when the Messiah comes.
A five-rib vault and the Golem in the attic
Inside is a Gothic twin-nave hall with two octagonal pillars and six vaulted bays. Unusually, the vault has five ribs instead of four or six. One interpretation is that the builders wanted to avoid the sign of the cross, but scholars dispute this. In the middle stands the bimah with a Gothic grille, and above it hangs the historic banner of the Prague Jewish community with the Star of David and a Jewish hat.
According to legend, the Golem, a clay creature made by Rabbi Loew to protect the community, still rests in the synagogue attic. The reporter Egon Erwin Kisch went looking for it there in 1920. He did not find it.
Visiting: the synagogue is managed by the Jewish Community of Prague; tickets are sold through the website of the Jewish Museum in Prague, where you will also find opening hours.
More of the oldest synagogues in the Czech Republic
- The Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, from 1535, is the second oldest in the Prague Jewish Town. Today it is a memorial to some 78,000 Holocaust victims from Bohemia and Moravia and displays drawings by children from Terezín.
- The oldest in Moravia: the oldest surviving Moravian synagogues date from the mid-16th century. They are the Upper Synagogue in Mikulov, with a core from around 1550, and the Shach Synagogue in Holešov from 1560.
- Třebíč: the Front Synagogue of 1639–1642 and the Rear Synagogue of 1669 with early 18th-century paintings. Since 2003 the Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč have been on the UNESCO list, a Jewish and a Christian monument in one inscription.
The oldest monastery in Bohemia: St George's at Prague Castle
The oldest monastery in Bohemia was founded by Prince Boleslaus II and his sister Mlada at St George's Basilica at Prague Castle. It was a convent of Benedictine nuns, and Mlada became its first abbess. Sources differ on the year, giving 973 or around 976, so the safe answer is “in the 970s”. It is also the oldest convent for women in Bohemia.
St George's Basilica, where the convent was founded, is even older: Prince Vratislaus I founded it around 920, and in 925 the remains of St Ludmila were brought here. It is open as part of a visit to Prague Castle.
The convent itself was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II in 1782, then served as barracks, and from 1975 to 2012 housed exhibitions of the National Gallery. Since 2016 it has belonged to the Archdiocese of Prague, and today it is closed awaiting a major restoration.
The oldest monastery for men: Břevnov (993)
Břevnov Monastery was founded for Benedictine monks in 993 by Prince Boleslaus II and Bishop St Adalbert. It is the oldest monastery for men in Bohemia. The foundation charter shown by the monastery is a 13th-century forgery, but historians accept the year 993 itself.
From the Middle Ages a pre-Romanesque 11th-century crypt survives under the choir. Today's Baroque complex with the Basilica of St Margaret was built in 1708–1740 to plans by Christoph Dientzenhofer. The communists dissolved the monastery in 1950; the monks returned in 1991.
And the oldest brewery?
Břevnov claims a brewing tradition dating from the monastery's founding in 993, and Czech Television and Seznam Zprávy call it the oldest known brewery in Bohemia. There is no direct 10th-century evidence, though, and the foundation charter is, as we know, a later forgery. Today's monastery brewery was revived in 2011. Other old breweries have their own claims: U Fleků in Prague cites continuous brewing since 1499, and Černá Hora a first mention of beer in 1298.
The second and third oldest monasteries
“The second oldest monastery in Bohemia” has two answers. Overall, Břevnov is second (after St George's). Among monasteries for men, the second is Ostrov Monastery near Davle, founded by Boleslaus II around 999 on an island in the Vltava. The Hussites burned it in 1420, and only foundations remain. The third is Sázava Monastery from around 1032, where services were held in Old Church Slavonic until 1096.
Other orders arrived in the 12th century: Sedlec near Kutná Hora (1142) was the first Cistercian monastery in Bohemia, and Strahov (1143) the first Premonstratensian one.
The oldest monastery in Moravia and in South Bohemia
Moravia: the Benedictine abbey at Rajhrad was, according to tradition, founded by Prince Bretislaus I in 1045–1048. The date comes from the Břevnov forgeries, hence “according to tradition”. It is the oldest documented monastery in Moravia. The present Baroque complex was designed by Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel and houses the Monument of Moravian Literature. The monastery in Třebíč, founded in 1101, is younger; its St Procopius' Basilica survives.
South Bohemia: the oldest is neither Zlatá Koruna nor Vyšší Brod, as many people think, but the Premonstratensian monastery in Milevsko, founded in 1184–1187 by Jiří of Milevsko. Its basilica is the only Romanesque basilica in South Bohemia. Vyšší Brod was founded by Vok of Rožmberk only in 1259 and is the only active Cistercian monastery for men in the Czech Republic. Zlatá Koruna was founded by Ottokar II in 1263.
Tables
The oldest synagogues
| Synagogue | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Old-New, Prague | around 1270 | oldest active synagogue in Europe |
| Pinkas, Prague | 1535 | second oldest in the Prague Jewish Town |
| Upper Synagogue, Mikulov | around 1550 | oldest surviving in Moravia |
| Shach Synagogue, Holešov | 1560 | – |
| Front Synagogue, Třebíč | 1639–1642 | oldest in Třebíč |
| Rear Synagogue, Třebíč | 1669 | UNESCO (2003) |
The oldest monasteries
| Monastery | Founded | Order | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| St George's, Prague Castle | 973/976 | Benedictine nuns | oldest in Bohemia, first for women |
| Břevnov | 993 | Benedictines | oldest for men in Bohemia |
| Ostrov near Davle | around 999 | Benedictines | second oldest for men |
| Sázava | around 1032 | Benedictines | Old Church Slavonic liturgy until 1096 |
| Rajhrad | 1045–1048 (tradition) | Benedictines | oldest in Moravia |
| Třebíč | 1101 | Benedictines | basilica on the UNESCO list |
| Sedlec | 1142 | Cistercians | first Cistercian in Bohemia |
| Strahov | 1143 | Premonstratensians | first Premonstratensian |
| Milevsko | 1184–1187 | Premonstratensians | oldest in South Bohemia |
| Vyšší Brod | 1259 | Cistercians | only active Cistercian monastery for men |
Quick facts for quizzes and school projects
- The Old-New Synagogue in Prague was built around 1270 and is the oldest synagogue in Europe still in use.
- The vault of the Old-New Synagogue has five ribs instead of the usual four or six.
- According to legend, Rabbi Loew's Golem lies in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue.
- The name “Old-New” arose when the originally “New” synagogue became the “old new” one after more synagogues were built in the 16th century.
- The oldest monastery in Bohemia is the Benedictine St George's Convent at Prague Castle. Its first abbess was Mlada, sister of Boleslaus II.
- Břevnov Monastery (993) was founded by Boleslaus II and St Adalbert. It is the oldest monastery for men in Bohemia.
- At Sázava Monastery, services were held in Old Church Slavonic until 1096.
- Vyšší Brod is the only Cistercian monastery for men still active in the Czech Republic.
Trip ideas
Prague in a day: in the morning Josefov with the Old-New and Pinkas synagogues, in the afternoon Prague Castle with St George's Basilica, and on the way back Břevnov Monastery with its brewery.
Třebíč: the Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica are close to each other and share one UNESCO inscription.
We do not list opening hours or admission prices because they change. You will find them on the websites of the Jewish Museum in Prague, Prague Castle and the individual monasteries.
More Czech heritage records
- The oldest town hall in the Czech Republic
- The oldest town in the Czech Republic
- The oldest house in the Czech Republic, in Prague and in Brno
- The oldest castle in the Czech Republic
- The largest castle in the Czech Republic and the world
- The largest chateau in the Czech Republic
- The oldest church in the Czech Republic
- The oldest bridge in the Czech Republic
- The oldest brewery in the Czech Republic
All records in one place: Czech heritage records.
ENDFrequently asked questions
What is the oldest synagogue in Europe?
Prague's Old-New Synagogue, from around 1270, is the oldest synagogue in Europe still used as a synagogue. The Old Synagogue in Erfurt (around 1094) is an older surviving building, but it is a museum; the Worms synagogue was destroyed in 1938 and rebuilt.
Why is it called the Old-New Synagogue?
It was originally called the New School because an older synagogue stood nearby. When further synagogues were built in the late 16th century, it became the Old-New. The explanation from the Hebrew al tnai (“on condition”) is a legend.
Is the Golem in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue?
According to legend, Rabbi Loew hid the Golem's body there. The reporter Egon Erwin Kisch searched for it in 1920 and found nothing.
What is the oldest monastery in the Czech Republic?
The Benedictine St George's Convent at Prague Castle, founded in the 970s (973 or around 976) by Boleslaus II and his sister Mlada. The oldest monastery for men is Břevnov (993).
What is the oldest monastery in Moravia?
The Benedictine abbey at Rajhrad, according to tradition founded by Bretislaus I in 1045–1048.
Is Břevnov the oldest brewery in the Czech Republic?
Břevnov claims a brewing tradition going back to 993 and is often called the oldest known brewery in Bohemia. There is no direct 10th-century evidence, however, and today's brewery was revived in 2011.
Information from the Jewish Museum in Prague, Arno Pařík's study (Staletá Praha 2003), prague.eu, Kudy z nudy, Czech and English Wikipedia, the National Heritage Institute, Czech Television, Seznam Zprávy, Novinky and the websites of the individual monasteries; disputed points are marked in the text. Photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Lead photo: Old-New Synagogue in Prague, Jerzy Strzelecki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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