St. Nicholas Church

Deanery Church of St. Nicholas is notable dominant of Znojmo, to be seen on practically all panoramas of the town along with the town hall tower. Its consecration to St. Nicholas, the patron of merchants, is connected to the peripheral merchant settlement called Újezdec, which existed around the church since the end of the 11th century. The name St. Nicholas appears on the coins of the Znojmo principality's duke Litold around year 1100. In 1190, the originally Romanesque church was donated by duke Conrad Otto to the newly founded Louka abbey.

In the first third of the 14th century the old church succumbed to the huge fires that raged in the town, so the nobility of Louky had to proceed with the construction of a brand new temple. The building's architectural development was extremely complex; it passed through several stages during the 14th and 15th centuries. The main part of the church is built as a tall three-nave hall, segmented by huge cylindrical pillars. In December 1437, the dead body of emperor Zikmund of Luxembourg was publicly displayed in the temple. In the Baroque era, the interior of the church was refurbished (altars and sculptures), some of the side chapels were rebuilt.

The visitor will be captivated namely by the unique Gothic frescoes in the chancel, a masterful sanctuary and a beautiful Gothic sculpture of Christ whipped at a pole. We should also mention the interesting Baroque pulpit in the shape of the globe and the exquisite Neo-Gothic organ in the choir. The tower is the most recent addition to the building, as it wasn't erected until mid 19th century. The original church tower stood to the south, on the site of today's small tower.

References:

• Znojmo City

Address

Mikulášské náměstí 13, Znojmo, Czech Republic

Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Religious sites in Czech Republic