This project was dedicated to the historic reconstruction of an essential part of the Sázava monastery complex. It included a total restoration of the rectory building, of the Baroque church of St. Prokop with a crypt, the torso of a Gothic three-nave with a tower and the arrangement of the surrounding terrain.
The architectural modifications were led by an effort to make the church more accessible to both believers and those interested in the history and historical values of the church. These are both the main and side naves, and especially the crypt, and last but not least, the southern and northern emporiums.
The premises of the rectory were adapted to provide, in addition to the administration and facilities for visitors, the conditions for the community life of the parish, as well as the workplace and accommodation of the parish administrator. In the southern part of the building, the parish hall has been restored as a community room with operational and social facilities. A new entrance was designed for this part and an information center for visitors to the area is located in its vestibule.
In the interior of the church, in addition to classic restoration, static and rehabilitation interventions, architectural and related structural revitalization modifications of the liturgical space of the crypt were also designed. The crypt of the Sacred Heart of the Lord, located below the level of the main nave of the church, bears, in addition to the Gothic foundations and the Baroque vault, the handwriting of the architect Jan Sokol, a pupil of Le Corbusier. Václav Hlaváček, the chief architect of Studio acht, deliberately followed up on his work, which was never completed due to the circumstances of the communist era.
The most significant change during the monumental restoration of the crypt was the replacement of the concrete floor with a marble terrazzo. It was divided into smaller parts by means of metal strips bent into the shape of the apse to increase the durability and quality. The windows with a view of the Sázava River have also been renovated: "We intentionally had clear glass inserted into them, which entice visitors to stop and meditate in the unique crypt, which is underground and at the same time high in the treetops," explains chief architect Václav Hlaváček.
The lattice in the entrance portal of the Church of St. Prokop is one of the three contemporary elements that have been sensitively designed by Studio acht with respect to the history and purpose of the place. The entrance is further complemented by new holy water fonts. The underground crypt has undergone the largest contemporary interventions. The author's aim of the new architectural elements was to underline the Old Slavic roots of the Sázava Monastery, in whose scriptorium were Glagolitic fragments probably originated.
"Architects from Studio acht have many years of experience with the reconstruction of monuments and church buildings, but we consider the Sázava Monastery to be our most important renovation to date, which we have approached with due respect. We are grateful that we were able to participate in a project of the similar size and importance, ”concludes chief architect Václav Hlaváček.
