Abstract
Much of what has been preserved from the architecture, art and culture of the early Middle Ages was created on the grounds of Benedictine monasteries. The old Benedictine culture is one of the cornerstones of European civilization, and it is a legacy and living message for today's European society.
The buildings of the Benedictine monasteries reflected the demands of the rules, monastic asceticism, and separation from the outside world, humility, the need for meditation, the ideal of life, in which the course of every day is given a higher spiritual meaning. This is the basis of this book, which deals with Benedictine monasteries in Central Europe and their architecture, both in the former Holy Roman Empire - among others in today's Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as in the territories outside it - in the former kingdoms of Hungary and Poland.
Special attention was paid to the buildings of Benedictine monasteries in the Czech lands. The prerequisite for this work was demanding field research and documentation, which was partly used for the final publication.
The book gives a picture of the Benedictine monasteries in a large part of the European continent and is a pioneering work in this respect.