St. Clements’s Keep near Osvětimany
Deep in the woods of the Chřiby mountains north of Osvětimany lies a place rich with fables and legends. The most notable speaks of the apostles of faith that brought the remains of St. Clement here and educated their disciples in prayer and meditation.
Archaeological research has shown that the keep that lies near an ancient trade route, which used to connect the midst of the Morava river basin with the Brno region did indeed originate sometime in the mid 9th century and its population reached its peak in the period of the Great Moravian realm. Gradually it grew smaller, desolate, was resettled again and definitely ceased to exist at the beginning of the 16th century. Today you can find the foundations of the old church, the remnants of several other buildings and the wooden chapel of St. Clement here, built around 1863 to commemorate the thousand years since the coming of St. Cyril and Methodius.
Nearby lays the village Stupava, with the church of St. Clement dating from the mid 19th century.
