Saving the Svatá Hora Spring

The Marian spring stands on the southern slope of the Svatá Hora pilgrimage grounds in Příbram, below the bastions with the Březnická and Pražská chapels. A path leads to it from the grounds; the walk from the basilica takes a few minutes. The chapel above the well is locked because of its poor structural condition — once the restoration is complete it should be normally accessible for the first time in decades.

Jan Procházka of Nymburk was a man who came to Svatá Hora in 1632 after nineteen years of blindness and, after three days of prayer before the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Svatá Hora, regained his sight. News of his healing made Svatá Hora famous throughout Bohemia. Procházka stayed on as a hermit and dug a well for pilgrims with his own hands: today’s Marian spring.

The well is approximately 78 metres deep. Jan Procházka dug it to about eighteen metres around 1634, and later generations deepened it further. The little chapel above it, octagonal in plan and with an onion dome, has stood there since 1673, when it replaced an older wooden cover.

The model restoration of the pilgrimage grounds in 2015 concentrated on the basilica, the cloisters, the façades, the roofs and the stairway. The Marian spring was not included and remained in its original, long-neglected state. Saving it is therefore a separate project, running from October 2025 to the end of 2026.

Of the total cost of CZK 3,815,130, a European grant covers CZK 2,289,078 (60%). The mandatory co-payment of CZK 1,526,052 must be paid by the parish regardless of how much is raised. The work is under contract and under way. Whatever donors do not cover, the parish will have to draw from funds earmarked for further repairs at Svatá Hora: the statues on the balustrade, the paintings in the cloisters, the Stalactite Chapel and others.

It does, more than it seems. Every hundred crowns from a donor is tied to a further CZK 150 from the European grant, because without the mandatory co-payment the grant cannot be drawn. A gift of CZK 500 therefore contributes to CZK 1,250 worth of work. Most donations so far have been in the range of hundreds to a few thousand crowns.

Gifts from this project are kept separately and are used exclusively for the mandatory co-payment for the restoration of the Marian spring. If more is raised than is needed, we will use the surplus for the follow-up restoration of the statues on the Svatá Hora balustrade and will announce it here in the updates. The parish collection account is 520395309/0800.

Yes. Both individuals and companies may deduct the value of their gifts from their tax base, up to 30% of that base; for individuals the increased limit applies to tax periods up to and including 2026. We issue the donation confirmation automatically (through the Darujme.cz portal): for gifts made via the payment gateway it arrives by e-mail, while for gifts by bank transfer (QR code) please write to us at office@farnost-svatahora.cz.

No. You can send your gift in under a minute, without registering and without setting up an account. You give your name only if you want to be listed among the donors or to receive a reward.

Yes — choose a monthly gift in the donation form. A regular gift of CZK 300 a month comes to CZK 3,600 a year and is the most valuable form of support for the parish: it makes it possible to plan repairs in advance instead of dealing with one crisis after another. You can change or cancel a regular gift at any time.

No. Publishing your name is voluntary and you tick it yourself in the form. You can give entirely anonymously, give only your first name, a dedication (“for the Novák family”), or the name of someone close to whom you wish to credit the gift.

Yes. Corporate donors from CZK 50,000 receive their logo on the donor plaque. Get in touch at partneri@farnost-svatahora.cz — we will be glad to discuss the options with you.