Organization of the tour

The Catacombs are accessible to individual visitors or with a guide (see below). The length of the guided tour is approximately 45 minutes. There are audio guides that can be accessed in headsets or directly from your cell phone. The audio-guides are available in English, German, French, Polish, Dutch and Russian.

Background

The crypts under the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and St. Ignatius were built as part of the church in 1656–1676. It became the burial place for members of the Jesuit order and its benefactors from the ranks of the nobility and burghers. A sophisticated ventilation system in the church contributed to the fact that the bodies of the deceased gradually dried up and turned into natural mummies.

The museum part of the exhibition is dedicated to the activities of the Society of Jesus in Bohemia and around the world. The first Jesuits came to Klatovy in 1636 and worked here until 1773, when the Order was abolished. They built a large college, a magnificent church, a seminary, and a grammar school. Contemporary documents, books, historical objects and modern multimedia elements in the exhibition show the lives of people in the 17th and 18th centuries.