Kostel Sv. Jiljí / Church of St. Giles - Milevsko (South Bohemia) - Romanesque Architecture on Waymarking.com

Beautiful Kostel Sv. Jiljí (Church of St. Giles), historic and architectural pearl of the town Milevsko, was originally a Romanesque tribune church founded before 1187. St. Giles was for a long time parish church of Milevsko Roman Catholic parish.

The Romanesque-Gothic Church of St. Giles (Kostel Sv. Jiljí ) is first mentioned in 1184. It was rebuilt in the 14th century - the new Gothic structure was built within the original Romanesque church. Further reconstructions were done in 1573 and 1883. The thick north-western stone wall and the huge tribune tower with wooden brattice have been preserved from the original Romanesque structure.

St. Giles is single-aisle structure with a pentagonal chancel and Romanesque tribune tower with belfry in the west and preserved ashlar work in the north. The chancel is vaulted with the "Milevsko-type" Gothic rib vault (the oldest of this type in Bohemia - it was a model for similar buildings, e.g. in the Ceský Krumlov chateau), with paintings and inscriptions relating to the Hodejovský noble family of Hodejov. The aisle has a flat ceiling with a replica of coffered Renaissance ceiling. Gothic vault abutments can be found along the aisle walls. The truss of the church is Gothic. St. Giles serves as a funeral hall today.

From its inception until the founding of the adjacent Milevsko convent, the church served as the owners church of Jirí of Milevsko. This is evidenced, among other things, by the tribune (empore) in the Romanesque tower, from which the nobleman watched the services. The tower has a rectangular floor plan and is made of granite blocks. At the top are two rows of Romanesque windows with columns.