Village of St. John Under the Cliff and Czech Horse Farm

Tour info

What You will see

Begin in the morning. Your guide and driver will pick you up in reception at your hotel. We will drive 30 minutes to the village of St. John Under the Cliff.

St John under the Cliff is a picturesque little village in the Central Bohemian Region, Beroun district, about 30 km southwest of Prague and 5 km east of Beroun. It is situated in the heart of the Protected Landscape Area: Český Kras.

History of the village

The first written mention of the village dates from 1037 when Prince Břetislav gave the Chapel of St John to the Monastery Ostrov near Davle. In the 13th century a cloister was built at the cave of St Ivan. In 1317 a provostship was built and in 1517 an abbey was added. /p>

The current buildings date from the years 1653-1661. Between 1726-1731 Christopher Dienzenhofer rebuilt the south west wing of the monastery.

The monastery was closed in 1785 and transformed into a castle. After 1925 it was a school and from 1953-1958 it served as a prison. Later it was used as a school for members of the communist secret police StB and in 1985 an archive of the Ministry of Interior was created there.

At the present the College of Education and Environmental Center, St. John’s College, is located there.

Sights of the village

Church of the Holy Nativity John the Baptist and Cave of St. Ivan. The church, an Early Baroque building from the years 1657-1661 with rich interior decorations, was built according to the plans of C. Lurago. In the center is St. Ivan’s tomb, holding his remains. The church is connected to an old rock – Cave of St Ivan. In one part of the church a natural travertine cave decorated with stalactites and stalagmites is preserved. The Spring of St. Ivan is adjacent to the church just under the window of St Ivan pouring forth powerful healing spring water.

Inside the church there are cave rooms. According to legend, in the 9th century, a hermit named Ivan, son of prince Gostimysl, lived here. Ivan was buried here and it was confirmed, by skeletal examination of the remains, that the skeleton is a thousand years old and was of a man who lived long in the wet and nourished as a vegetarian). Local people considered him as St. Ivan and the first Czech saint (though unofficially) before St Ludmila. and St Wenceslas.

The most beautiful site is an impressive limestone cliff that rises to a height of 210 m above the surrounding terrain and dominates the entire area. A baroque Chapel of the Holy Cross, which dates from 1714, is located about half way up to the rock.

A chapel, built in Neo Gothic style and surrounded by cemetery is located in the village. The family tomb of Berger, along with crypts, built between 1847 and 1849 is located here.

Our impression

We were literally overwhelmed by the beautiful unspoiled countryside and the historic buildings. This is a wonderful romantic place where it is pleasant to walk around and see a place which the normal tourist does not visit.

Horse farm

Following the visit to St. John Under the Cliff, we will drive about 1 hour drive to an actual working Czech horse farm. This farm is owned by a very nice Czech family, Katty and Pavel and their two children. Katty is at home with the children and looks after the farm and horses. Pavel works with the horses as a stuntman. They both love horses and enjoy teaching people to ride. In addition to the horses they own they also board horses for other people. Several years ago, when they bought the farm, it was a run-down piece of land. Piece by piece they are repairing and re-building the place. They give you the feeling you are part of their family and their land and make you feel very special.

Upon arrival you will be treated to a traditional Czech lunch (which you will be hard pressed to find in the more touristy places) and you will eat together with the family. (We had vegetable soup and goulash with dumlings and it was really delicious!) You will be warmly welcomed, and share converstaion about living in the rural Czech Republic. You will feel like a friend, not a tourist.

After the lunch Katty will show you the farm, explain about the horses and take you to the ring to teach you some basics about horesback riding. Or, alternately, she will take you on a horseback ride through the beautiful countryside. The beginner, intermediate or advanced rider will have lots of fun! We did! And took lots of pictures and laughed all the time. Afterward we had coffee and talked; the children played in the small swimming pool.

At the end of the day we were sorry it was over and time to go back to Prague. However we had a special feeling that many Czech tourists don’t have. This is as it should be: arrive with great expectations and depart with exceptionally goodfeelings!!!

Order tour HERE