St. Wenceslas Church in Zvole

St. Wenceslas Church in Zvole

Perfect example of Baroque craftsmanship

The Church of St. Wenceslas is the dominating feature of the village of Zvole. Today’s appearance actually dates from 1713–1717, when the original small Gothic church from the early 14th century was renovated. The construction of the new building was entrusted to Jan Blažej Santini Aichl, an excellent Czech architect of the Baroque era.
The village of Zvole is situated near Ždár nad Sázavou. The construction of the Baroque church was entrusted to Jan Santini Aichl by the Abbot of the local monastery, who also initiated many other building projects of Santini. The reconstructed church has a Greek Cross ground plan and is defined by a geometrical structure composed of circles circumscribed and inscribed in the base square. The dominating feature of the roof is a lantern symbolizing the Prince’s cap as an attribute of St. Wenceslas, patron of the church.

The eastern part with a presbytery is extended and finished off with a pair of square towers. In Zvole, Santini enriched his Baroque architecture with symbolism associated with St. Wenceslas. Above the main altar, you will also see a painting of St. Wenceslas created by the excellent Baroque artist Karel Škréta in the mid-17th century.