8.11.2011 Finding of a Gothic cathedral
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Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the masonry of the Gothic cathedral ten years ago on the castle hill in Litomyšl. They also discovered 150 boxes of small artefacts. These included fragments of pottery, tiles, floor coverings and human bones.
Thanks to the finds, archaeologists have discovered that the Cathedral of Our Lady is a hundred years older than originally thought. "They put it in connection with the rebuilding of a Premonstratensian monastery in the middle of the thirteenth century. This increases the monumental value and authenticity of the building," Milan Kuchařík, director of the Labrys archaeological society, revealed at the time.
Among the valuable findings were those from the Piarist College. The former religious house of the Order of Pious Schools, founded in 1640 and serving its purpose until 1950. Together with the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Cross and the former Piarist grammar school building, the monastery gardens form the Piarist complex in Litomyšl. The building has been protected as a cultural monument since 1958.
"We have found various documents from the course of the eighteenth century, when the monastery was owned by the Piarists. Of course, these are the finds that we leave in the ground or examine," archaeologist Michal Kuchařík explained.
The archaeologists came across personal notes, extracts from books and account books of the Piarists, and quills were also found. They began the survey in mid-2011 and it is the largest of its kind in eastern Bohemia.
Due to the discovery of the remains of the Gothic cathedral, the project to modernise the castle hill had to be redesigned. "The original assumptions of laying utilities in the courtyard will not be possible," Kuchařík explained at the time.
In the upper courtyard and in the castle brewery, a massive wall has been uncovered in several sectionsof the former Upper Town from the fifteenth century, in front of which two backfilled trenches were found.
The redevelopment of the hilltop included the repair of seven historic buildings and four open spaces, as well as restoration work. The first courtyard, the brewery, the stables, the stables, the upper courtyard, the coach house, the stables, the park, the Piarist college and the church and forecourt will be repaired. It was supposed to be finished within two years.
Sources: www.rozhlas.cz, www.ceskatelevize.cz, www.denik.cz, www.labrys.cz
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