Svaty Jan pod Skalou

The village sits in a narrow valley in the Bohemian Karst with a limestone cliff rising directly behind it, and the church of St John the Baptist is built against and partly into the rock: the cave where Ivan, a hermit of the ninth or tenth century, is said to have lived forms a chapel opening off the nave, with a spring in it. Ivan is the only hermit-saint venerated in Bohemia and the site was a Benedictine priory from the eleventh century, rebuilt in baroque in the 1660s by Carlo Lurago. The monastery buildings alongside are now an educational centre. A path climbs the cliff behind to a viewpoint and a cross above the village, and the karst valleys around are walked from here. The setting - cliff, church, spring and a handful of houses in a gorge - is the reason to come.

History

According to legend, Ivan, considered the first Czech Christian hermit, settled in a cave under the rock here in the 9th century; tempted by evil spirits, he was helped by an apparition of Saint John the Baptist, and he told Duke Bořivoj I to build a church dedicated to the saint, which the duke did after Ivan's death. Svatý Jan is first mentioned in 1037, when the Ostrov Monastery at Davle acquired the cave with its hermitage, grave and chapel from Duke Bretislav I; a provostship was set up here in 1310, and after the Hussites destroyed the Ostrov monastery in 1420 its monks moved to Svatý Jan, settling permanently in 1517. The remains of St Ivan were rediscovered in 1584 and pilgrimages began. Joseph II's reforms abolished the monastery in 1785, its property was sold at auction and passed through noble owners, part of it was used for industry, and in 1904-1912 it housed a spa (Wikipedia, Svatý Jan pod Skalou).

What you'll find

• A church built into rock - with the hermit's cave opening off the nave.
• Ivan's spring - rising inside the cave chapel.
• A baroque rebuild - Lurago's work of the 1660s over the medieval priory.
• A cliff path above - climbing to a viewpoint over the valley.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Before you go

The church and cave open on limited hours and close during services. Parking in the narrow valley is very restricted at weekends. The cliff path is steep. The village has one or two places to eat.

Nearby

Beroun and the Bohemian Karst caves are close; Karlstejn is south-east.

Key facts