Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk
in Žďár nad Sázavou, Czech RepublicCategory: Attraction
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Vejmluvova 53, 591 02 Žďár nad Sázavou, Czech Republic Print route »
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The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk (Czech: Poutní kostel svatého Jana Nepomuckého) at Zelená hora (former German name: Grünberg, meaning "Green Hill") is a religious building at the edge of Žďár nad Sázavou, Czech Republic, near the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. It is the final work of Jan Santini Aichel, a Bohemian architect who combined the Borrominiesque Baroque with references to Gothic elements in both construction and decoration.In 1719, when the Roman Catholic Church declared the tongue of John of Nepomuk to be incorruptible, work started to build a church at Zelená hora, where the future saint had received his early education. It was consecrated immediately after John's beatification in 1720, although construction works lumbered on until 1727. Half a century later, after a serious fire, the shape of the roof was altered.
The church, with many furnishings designed by Santini himself, is remarkable for its gothicizing features and complex symbolism, quite unusual for the time. In 1993, it was declared a World Heritage Site. The nomination dossier pointed out Santini's ratios which aimed at "the creation of an independent spatial reality", with "the number 5 being dominant in the layout and proportions" of the church.
