The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist is a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and Baroque Gothic

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

north-east of Kutná Hora in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and is listed in the

UNESCO World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

together with the Church of St. Barbara and other monuments in Kutná Hora. It is one of the most important Czech Gothic buildings built in the time of the last Přemyslids and also a very important and one of the oldest examples of the Baroque Gothic style (connected with the Czech Baroque architect

Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel Jan Blažej Santini Aichel (3 February 1677 – 7 December 1723) was a Czech architect of Italian descent, whose major works represent the unique Baroque Gothic style - the special combination of the Baroque and Gothic styles. Biograp ...

History

The church was built first in the

style around 1300 as one of the first High Gothic buildings in the Kingdom of Bohemia and as the first church in the kingdom resembling French Gothic cathedrals. It was built on the place of an older church and was a part of the Cistercians Sedlec Abbey, which was the oldest Cistercian abbey in the Czech lands founded in 1142. The abbey was burnt down by the

Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

in 1421 and the church became a ruin for the next two centuries. In 1700 the abbot of the Sedlec Abbey Jindřich Snopek decided to rebuild the old church. The reconstruction was conducted by the architect Pavel Ignác Bayer. After three years Bayer was replaced by

who had worked for the Cistercians already in

Zbraslav Zbraslav (; german: Königsaal; Latin ''Aula Regia'') is a municipal district and cadastral area of Prague. The southernmost district of Prague, it lies on the Vltava River in the national administrative district of Prague 16. The former indepe ...

. He completed the reconstruction of the church in his original style called Baroque Gothic. This reconstruction was celebrated for its impressive vaulting and facade as well as for its antechamber, which had been decorated by the statues made by

Matěj Václav Jäckel Matej is a given name that originates from the Slavic nations of Central and Eastern Europe. It is one of the most common male names in Slovakia and Slovenia, and is also common in Croatia. The name is originally derived from Matthias the Apostle. ...

. The church was consecrated in 1708. Although the church was rebuilt in the early 18th century his eastern part with side chapels, choir and transept should have preserved its original appearance (from outside). The latest restoration of the church took place in 2001.

Gallery

File:Kutna Hora-Sedlec cathedral 012.jpg, Sedlec Cathedral File:Kutna Hora Cathedral of Our Lady nave 2.jpg, Interior of the church. File:Golden Spiral by Brad Hammonds.jpg, Stairs by Czech architect

File:Jan Santini Aichel - Sedlec ground plan.jpg, Ground plan of the church. File:Kutná Hora Sedlec Kostol Nanebovzatia Panny Márie a svätého Jána Krstiteľa.jpg File:Pozostatky sv Vincenta v Kutnej Hore.jpg, Reliquary with the relics of

Vincent of Saragossa Vincent of Saragossa (also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon), the Protomartyr of Spain, was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa. He is the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia. His feast day is 22 January in the C ...

References

Sources

* Pavel Kalina,''The Hybrid Architecture of Jan Blažej Santini-Aichl and Patterns of Memory in the Post-Reformation Bohemia'', Umění/Art LVIII, Issue 1, 2010, p. 42-56. {{Authority control Jan Santini Aichel buildings World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic Buildings and structures in Kutná Hora Tourist attractions in the Central Bohemian Region Roman Catholic churches in the Czech Republic

History

Gallery

See also

References

Sources