Ostrozsko
ST ANTHONY CHAPEL AND SPRING
The hilltop with the chapel of St Anthony is the spiritual (religious) centre of the whole Ostrozsko region. Until about 1850s, the hill was called “Hradisko” (= a fortified settlement). Although the archeological research conducted here has not proven any ancient settlement or fort, it has uncovered some burial moulds here. It is quite possible, then, that the hill had been a place of some spiritual significance long before the arrival of Christianity. According to a local legend, the water from the spring was used by the first Christian missionaries in this region, St Constantin (Cyril) and St Methodius, for baptism of the local pagan population. Another legend claims that it cured the blind son of the estate owner, the count of Liechtenstein, who then had a chapel built nearby. These are legends. What really happened?
Before an important event in the history of this country, the battle of Bila hora (the White Mountain) in 1620, this estate had been passed on to the lords of Kunovice. Unfortunately, they fought on the side which was eventually defeated, and in addition to that they refused to give up their Protestant religion. This meant that their property was confiscated and in 1622 given to the Liechtenstein family. The Liechtensteins tried to enforce Catholicism on their estates and the building of a chapel on the Hradisko hill proved to be a very effective step towards this goal. The pilgrimage chapel of St Anthony (Antonin) of Padua was built in 1670. During the reconstruction work several decades later, the builders who needed plenty of water for lime burning had to look for some more water in the vicinity and happened to come across the spring.
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Contact
VIS Bílé Karpaty, o.p.s.
Marie Petrů, DiS.
Bartolomějské nám. 47? 698 01 Veselí nad Moravou
Tel.:518 322 545
e-mail:petru@bilekarpaty.cz
http://www.bilekarpaty.cz/vis
