Church of Our Lady

Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist is a Gothic and Baroque Gothic church in Kutná Hora. It is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Chapel of All Saints and its ossuary and other monuments in Kutná Hora. It is one of the most important Czech Gothic buildings built in the time of the very last Přemyslids and also a very important and one of the oldest examples of the Baroque Gothic style.

The church was built first in the Gothic style around 1300 as one of the first High Gothic building 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 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 the new architect became Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel who had worked for the Cistercians already in Zbraslav. He completed the reconstruction of the church in his original style called Baroque Gothic. His most impressive works in the church are the amazing vaults and front wall of the church with its antechamber decorated with the statues by Matěj Václav Jäckel. 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.

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Details

Founded: c. 1300
Category: Religious sites in Czech Republic

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Johnio (10 months ago)
It’s a small church. Nice though. If you don’t have the bundle tickets with other churches, i would recommend you not to buy the ticket to go inside.
Sougata Bhattacharjee (11 months ago)
This church is a stunning example of Gothic architecture. The art pieces inside this church were a delightful surprise to me.
Jakub Scholz (2 years ago)
The cathedral is much bigger than expected. But it feels weirdly plain without any vitrage windows, fancy lights and so on. You can also walk to the upper floors and under the roof.
Isaac Archuleta (2 years ago)
A neat Cathedral. One of many places to see in this town that you could honestly spend a whole day in. They have little exhibits and some neat artifacts. You buy the tickets to everything at a little building right near this cathedral and then you can go to the Ossuary, St. Barbara’s Cathedral and more! Definitely worth a train ride from Prague, or a car trip. Be sure to go up the stairs which are about halfway up and to the left.
T S (2 years ago)
Sedlec is currently a part of Kutná Hora. In 1142 twelve Christian monks, invited by the nobleman Miroslav of Markvartice, came here. The monks were supposed to build a monastery here, which became the first and oldest monastery of this order in the Czech Republic. + pretty architecture and art + interesting view on the construction of the ceiling through the attic + art collections all over the church and attic
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