Portal Porta Paradise - Třebíč

St. Procopius Basilica is a Romanesque-Gothic Christian church in Třebíč, Czech Republic. It was built on the site of the original Virgin Mary's Chapel of the Benedictine monastery in 1240–1280. It became a national cultural monument in 2002 as a part of the "monastery with St. Procopius church". The basilica together with the Jewish Quarter in Třebíč were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.



The real jewel of the basilica is the main entrance called the Paradise Gate in the hall on the north side. It was discovered by complete coincidence, thanks to the castle chaplain. When a brewery was established in the basilica at the beginning of the 15th century after the demise of the monastery, there used to be a brewing chamber in the northern vestibule. It was later rebuilt for residential purposes, most recently to accommodate the chaplain. In 1862, he tried to hang a large painting on the south wall of his room. However, as the staple was hammered, part of the masonry collapsed, revealing a niche where this rare Romanesque portal is hidden. It is called Porta paradisi or the Gate of Paradise and its rarity is evidenced by the fact that we would find only two of them in the Czech Republic. The other is located near Tišnov and is called Porta coeli or Gate of Heaven.



In the individual strips of the portal we can see plants, abysses, mountains, animals, waters and people of all nations. Up in the middle you can notice the angel, who has the function of a protector, guardian of the basilica. The theme for the decoration of the portal was the hymn of three bachelors from the book of Daniel from the Old Testament. The relief decoration was very damaged and it was not repaired until 1930s when sculptor Vojtěch Sucharda renovated the portal.

## Keywords
romanesque architecture history portal Třebíč