Present day
After 1989, when the Premonstratensians returned to the monastery, a costly reconstruction of the entire complex began. The transfer of the monastery premises from the state occurred very slowly, practically over thirty years after the Velvet Revolution. Until then, the National Literature Memorial, which gradually vacated the premises, was located in the monastery spaces. It completely left the monastery premises in the fall of 2022. These reclaimed spaces needed to be reconstructed in a way that would allow the renewal of monastic life. The monastery basilica served liturgical purposes throughout the era of socialism. From 1986, its reconstruction was underway. After 1990, when the Premonstratensians returned to Strahov, the liturgical space was modified by installing a new altar according to the liturgical reform given by the Second Vatican Council, allowing the liturgy to be celebrated facing the people. The altar was designed by Egino Weinert from Cologne. By the late 1990s, the basilica's interior was insulated by installing double-glazed windows.
The monastery library, both the Theological and Philosophical Halls, were taken over from the Memorial at the beginning of the 90s. In 2009, the Philosophical Hall was expensively reconstructed, with original library cabinets repaired, the ceiling fresco cleaned and repaired, and electrical and data networks revitalized. The hall spaces are cleaned and conserved annually to ensure the library collections are well-preserved for future generations. In 2023, the renewal of lighting in both the Philosophical and Theological Halls began, utilizing the most modern standards in terms of light color and stability, while also considering energy efficiency requirements.
The convent building spaces were adapted from office spaces to living quarters for the monastic community's life right at the beginning of the 90s. A convent chapel was also established in the freed spaces, serving the monks as a place for silence and personal prayer. In further stages, the Provisorate spaces were reclaimed, in which a total reconstruction has been underway from 2014 to 2023. After this repair, it will return to its original purpose, serving as administrative spaces for the management of the monastery's economy.
The spaces of the abbot's prelature, which were taken over in the fall of 2022, are still waiting for their challenging reconstruction. Currently, the space is being surveyed, with plans and project documentation being created.
However, the restoration of the buildings is intertwined with the renewal of monastic life. The brothers immediately revived the regular choir prayer in the early 90s. They gather daily in the basilica to praise God through the singing of liturgical prayer. For this, they use the language of the church, Latin, and primarily sing Gregorian chant, which represents a precious treasure of liturgical prayer. The revival of Gregorian chant in the church dates back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century and was a great wish of Pope Pius X. Gradually, liturgical books designed for prayer and the singing of psalms, hymns, and antiphons were published. Currently, the Strahov brothers use the Premonstratensian Vesperale praemonstratense, published in 2014 by Windberg Abbey.
Next Monasteries in Our Country
In our country today, there are four independent male monasteries – so-called canonries. In each of them, the brothers under the guidance of their abbot (or administrator) strive to live the ideals of St. Norbert and operate in the places (parishes) belonging to them. These are the monasteries:
- Strahov (1143)
- Želiv (1149)
- Teplá (1193)
- Nová Říše (1211, as a male monastery since 1641)
After a hiatus of several centuries, the female religious branch was reestablished in our country in 1998 at the place where the sisters lived until the dissolution of the monastery by Joseph II, praying and interceding for God's blessing for the world, the church, and all who turned to them in trust.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a congregation of sisters was founded at Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc, connecting in the female branch of the order the spirituality of St. Norbert and St. Augustine with a more active lifestyle.