Church of St. Catherine / Kostel Sv. Kateriny - Klimkovice (North-East Moravia)
N 49° 47.175 E 018° 07.847
34U E 293475 N 5518815
Renaissance Church of St. Catherine (Kostel Sv. Kateriny) in Klimkovice with a Gothic core (ca 1400) is thanks to the striking Baroque chapel and utilitarian adaptations a valuable witness of the sacral architecture transformations in last 600 years.
Waymark Code: WM12H5T
Location: Moravskoslezský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/28/2020
Views: 13
Renaissance Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria (Kostel Sv. Kateriny Alexandrijské) in Klimkovice with a Gothic core (ca 1400) is thanks to the striking Baroque chapel and utilitarian adaptations a valuable witness of the sacral architecture transformations in last 600 years.
Three-nave Church of St. Catherine is a brick longitudinal building with a presbytery and perimeter masonry probably from the turn of the 14th-15th century. The church together with the chateau was completely rebuilt and enlarged by the new Klimkovice owner, Ondrej Bzenec from Markvartice, in the Renaissance style (rib vaults, tower, covered bridge connecting the church with the chateau) in the years 1578-1579. The tower also had the fortification function, which thanks to its strategic location protected the south side of the chateau. On the west wall of the towet the windows have the shape of embrasures. The next owner of the demesne, Jindrich Vilém Wilczek of Gutteland (Vlcek z Dobrozemice), built a magnificent north-side Baroque funeral chapel of St. John of Nepomuk (kaple Sv. Jana Nepomuckého) in the years 1730-1738. He was also buried in it after his death in 1739. His son Josef Maria Wilczek and grandson František Josef Wilczek are also buried here. The church was damaged by a fire which destroyed all its equipment on April 21, 1854. After the following utilitarian reconstruction, new church furniture was also purchased.
The entrance to the Baroque chapel of St. John of Nepomuk is located on the north side of the church. The central rectangular space is vaulted with a dome that rises to a height of 25 meters. At its top are the oculus and the lantern. The dome is supported by eight partially recessed columns with composite heads and a simple shaft. In the tambour of the dome is a strip of windows with a full arch. To the east is a slightly indented chancel, which is vaulted with a lunette vault. In the western part of the chapel is the tomb of Jindrich Vilém Wilczek.
Interesting fact: When the church was extended by a tower in the 16th century, the pressure of the soil caused the tower to gradually tilt: today the deviation is 64 cm from the axis.
Source: excerpted and translated from
Wikipedia
and
National Heritage Institute portal.