In 1139, Prince Soběslav founded the originally Benedictine monastery in Želiv. In 1148, the Premonstratensians settled in the monastery and with several interruptions they have been here to this day.
The monastery burned down several times. Giovanni B. Santini gave the present-day Baroque-Gothic appearance to the original Romanesque abbey Church of the Nativity of Our Lady. At that time, the abbey and the convent were reconstructed again; their form was changed in the early 20th century by Neo-Baroque adjustments.
The Baroque refectory, the capitulary hall and the library decorated with frescoes have been preserved in the monastery.
For further information:
www.jiznicechy.org/en/index.php?dir=kost&file=zeliv (in English)