Church of Mary Magdalene / Kostel Sv. Marí Magdaleny - Jindrichuv Hradec (South Bohemia) - Baroque Architecture on Waymarking.com

Church of Mary Magdalene (Kostel Sv. Marí Magdaleny), despite its Baroque appearance, is thanks to its early-Gothic core (before 1255) probably the oldest surviving ecclesiastical building in Jindrichuv Hradec.

Church of Mary Magdalene was founded by Jindrich I. of Rožmberk, who granted the patronage right to its status to the Teutonic Knights. The right was confirmed by Jindrich's son Vítek of Rožmberk in 1255. The order also built a hospital for 12 people here. The church was attached to the Jesuit college, which was built here instead of the hospital and neighboring buildings in 1594. When church burned down in 1615, Vilém Slavata built a new one for 12,000 Rhine guldens from the confiscated property of the rebellious burghers in 1628-1632. The tower was added to the church in 1652. When the Jesuit order was abolished in 1773, military masses were held here until 1789, then the church was closed and sold to the townspeople of Jindrichuv Hradec. After a great fire in 1801 was church roofed again, the tower was demolished and the buried in the church's crypt were transferred to the cemetery at the St. Trinity Church. Church nad college were subsequently sold to the military forces and were used by army till 1995. The whole complex of church and adjacent Jesuit college was returned to town of Jindrichuv Hradec in 1995 and after reconstruction in 1997-1998 the church serves to cultural and social purposes as a concert and ceremonial hall.

The early Baroque church is a single-nave building with a pentagonal presbytery. The original Gothic windows with traceries are preserved in the upper nave parts. The both exterior and interior walls are divided by Tuscan pilasters. The nave is barrel-vaulted with lunettes and sections, the presbytery has a cross vault at the end with radial ribs.

Source: excerpted and translated from Hrady.cz portal and National Heritage Institute portal.