In 1139 Prince Soběslav initiated the originally Benedictine monastery in Želiv. In 1148 the Premonstratensians settled in the monastery and with several interruptions they have been here until now. The monastery burnt down several times. Giovanni B. Santini gave the recent Baroque-Gothic appearance to the original Romanesque abbey Church of the Nativity of Our Lady. At that time the abbey and the convict 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 preserved in the monastery.