The Basilica of Saint Zdislava in Jablonné has been restored to its former glory!

Thanks to years of effort and the financial support of the Province of the Dominicans of Bohemia, the local authorities and the European Union, the interior of the minor basilica built in Jablonné v Podještědí (Czech Republic) to house the body of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk (1220-1252) has recovered its former splendour. 

On 1 May 2024, to mark the completion of the work, a solemn Mass was celebrated, presided over by Mgr Stanislav Přibyl CSsR, Bishop of Litoměřice. At the start of the celebration, the Provincial of the Province of Bohemia, Brother Lukasz Fossum OP, and the Superior of the Jablonné community, Brother Pavel Mayer OP, welcomed the many guests. The Czech Prime Minister and his wife, Mr Petr Fiala and Mrs Jana Fialová were also present. At the end of the celebration, at the invitation of the bishop, the Prime Minister explained his presence in Jablonné in recognition of the presence of Dominican friars at important moments in his life. 

At the same time as the interior of the baroque basilica was being restored, the vast crypt was also renovated. Accompanied by visual artist Magdalena Schmitdová and composer Jan Trojan, the children created an evocation of the life of Saint Zdislava for this unusual space. Using subtle shadow effects, in keeping with the Czech artistic tradition of the ‘camera obscura’, and a sound composition, a poetic journey through the crypt now invites visitors to discover some dimensions of the life of the mother who brought the Order of Preachers to her town and who was canonised in 1995. As Brother Benedikt Mohelnik OP, who oversaw the project on behalf of the Order, explains, this allows pilgrims and visitors to meditate on Saint Zdislava’s healing of the blind, on her place of residence in Lemberk Castle in the middle of the forest and on her attachment to those she met. At the end of the artistic itinerary, pilgrims are well prepared to pay their respects at the tomb of Saint Zdislava.