History

It is said that the church arose on the site of the first sanctuary founded by Boček of Obřany but this fact does not comply with authentic description of the situation by chronicler Jindřich Žďárský. However, the first written reference about the church, at that time virtually St. Markéta Chapel, comes from a 1352 document by which the bishop of Lanzen granted indulgences to the visitors of Žďár's monastery churches.

This status was kept until abolishment of the parochial function in the year 1786. The drawing by Zeman from the year 1678 shows the chapel  with such crudity and schematic character found in drawings of any monastic buildings, however, it still indicates the building used to be fairly large, actually a small church of oblong floor plan with a rectangular closed presbytery and ridge roof and a pinnacle, apparently evidencing the fading Gothic forms present at its initial establishment and construction. It was not damaged much by the fire in 1689, probably for its distance, therefore it was repaired for all prayer services, until the severally damaged convent was repaired. The abbot Edmund Wagner, who replaced abbot Zaunmüller, strived to have the church of St. Margaret re-constructed with dignity, probably in connection with construction of other buildings that he intended to assert. 

Some notes indicate that it happened still under the authority of abbot Wagner, yet already in period, when Václav Vejmluva worked as the monastic bursar, the construction works started after demolition of older church in the year 1701. Whereas the older notes say the construction of new Baroque church was conducted by Spinetti from Kutná Hora, this builder had been also defined as the author of its design up until now, when another opinion says that the building was constructed by Spinetti using the plans made by Santini. The year 1701 apparently brought the painter Simon Gionima to make a painting of St.  Margaret for the main altar of this church, followed by Tomáš Šabart of Žďár, who created the altar painting of St. Cross, gilded the tabernacle and painted St. Nicolas and St.  Bernard together with figures of 12 apostles onto it in 1705. This fact that and fitting of the church with sculptural works made by Steinbubl of Žďár in the year 1708, when under management of abbot Vejmluva, and with organ manufactured by Jan Čermák of Chrudim, could imply that the new Baroque structure was fully completed at that time. This church at the monastery gate, initially designed for secular persons, whom the Cistercians forbade from using the ordinal church, still exists today, reconstructed as a secular dwelling since the year 1802. That fact that the church was deconsecrated and sold to a private person to undergo a series of refurbishments and lose its typical characteristics, its architectural style is impossible to analyse at this stage.

The best detail of this building is shown in the Rajhrad sketch from the period before mid 1800's, indicating the central structure integrated into the monastery perimeter wall to the left from main gate, on the layout of regular octagon with a broad and still octagonal tholobate,  interrupted by eight windows and finished with a wide corrugated dome. The year 1784 brings second abolishment of the monastery and Vavřinec Anderle, the administrator of church of St. Margaret, leaves for the convent church in 1786, when the building is deconsecrated and sold to local brewer Antonínu Stoba for 401 gold in 1802 the new owner then sold it to tailor Jan Ronovský for 600 gold in the year 1806.

* Dr. Metoděj Zemek Dr.Antonín Bartušek:DĚJINY ŽĎÁRU NAD SÁZAVOU, Krajské nakladatelství, Havlíčkův Brod 1956, díl II.,částII,str.56-58.

The church of St. Margaret was constructed to the left from monastery gate since the year 1700. According to written records, it was constructed by Jan Spineti de Angeli, builder from Kutná Hora, probably a relative of the author of church in Polná, Domenico d´Ageli, who designed and launched the reconstruction of chateau in Jaroměřice. He had worked on construction of Dominican monastery in Znojmo before that. He finally became the builder of Passus bishops. "The master builder received 1 gold, 30 crowns per week. Builders cost (in 1701) 387 gold together with the master builder, 53 crowns. Labourers and builders worked on this church for two years. Then they went to start the new gate...... Builders, labourers and carpenters cost 564 gold, 34 crowns."

* Alois Plichta: Border Monastery, Karmelitan Publishing House, Kostelní Vydří 1995, Page 54.