The monastery was founded earlier by Cistercian monks in 1205 in the charming valley of the little river Salaska with financial help of Vladislav Jindrich, Margrave of Moravia. By the mid 13^th century there was already a triple-aisled Romanesque basilica with transept and five apses at the east end. The sanctuary was consecrated in 1228, and by the end of the century the monastic buildings had been completed. In the latter half of that century a single-aisled chapel called the Cyrilka was built within the monastery precincts.
Badly damaged in 1423 by the Hussites, the buildings were not radically renovated until 1681 - 1769. Giovanni Pietro Tencalla was the architect responsible for the refashioning of the Romanesque basilica, Baltazar Fontana and Josef A. Winterhalder for the stucco of both the church and the monastery, while the sculpture was executed by Michal Mandik and Antonin Riga, and the paintings by M. L. Willmann, F. Eckstein, J. G. Etgens and I. Raab. Nearby, an extensive lapidarium has been erected to contain architectural and sculptural fragments mostly deriving from the late Romanesque state of construction. Velehrad is a lively religious centre attracting thousands of pilgrims every year.
The main pilgrimage takes place on 5^th July (the holy day of Saint Cyril and Methodius), services daily (tel. 0632/71130).
The last excursion begins usually one length of excursion before the closing time of the monument.

Entrance fee: full, reduced (eg. children, students, retired), foreigners full, foreigners reduced (usually with foreign language speaking guide).