Church of St. Gotthard / Kostel sv. Gotharda - Brozany nad Ohrí (North Bohemia)
N 50° 27.264 E 014° 08.853
33U E 439485 N 5589502
Ancient Church of St. Gotthard (Kostel sv. Gotharda), key historic and architectural landmark of market town Brozany nad Ohrí, is also parish church of Brozany Roman Catholic parish...
Waymark Code: WMNW7Q
Location: Ústecký kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/10/2015
Views: 33
Ancient Church of St. Gotthard (Kostel sv. Gotharda), key historic and architectural landmark of market town Brozany nad Ohrí, is also parish church of Brozany Roman Catholic parish.
Single nave Church of St. Gotthard, really valuable textbook of Middle-European sacral architecture, has Romanesque core (nave and western tower from marlstone) erected in the end of the 12th century (ca 1180). At the northern nave' wall is cross-vaulted baptismal chapel from the 1st half of the 13th century, interesting by Gothic murals from the 14th century. Baptismal font, from the end of 16th century, resembles Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The church was firstly rebuilt and extended in the Gothic style in the half of the 14th century (nave extending, new polygonal presbytery supported by buttresses). Presbytery is covered by rib vault on decorated stone brackets. Church was rebuilt again during the 16th century, this time in Renaissance style, by Brozany owners - noble family Vresovec of Vresová. Inside the church they built family tomb and You can find here their beautiful Renaissance epitaphs. Also sandstone carved main altar and two side altars, work of Master Jobst of Pirna (1571), are exceptional pieces of Renaissance art. Another jewel of Renaissance art is sandstone pulpit from the end of 16th century. Late-Baroque are two altars - Holy Family altar and St. John of Nepomuj altar, both from the enf of the 18th century (ca 1770).
The massive prismatic belfry is eqiupped by three historic bells - the smallest and oldest one (cast in ca 1500) bears names of St. Matthias, St. Lucas and St. Marc. The second one, cast in Litomerice in 1533 and donated by vogt Jirí Zrzavý, is consecrated to St. Wenceslaus. And finally the third one, the most decorated bell, was cast in 1641 in Roudnice for Brozany and donated by vogt Jan Svoboda and his councillors.
Valuable is also Renaissance southern entrance portal in the wall surrounding the church (originaly cemetery wall), built in the 16th century.