St. Vitus Church
The St. Vitus church in Cesky Krumlov is a Gothic hall type church built in the 14th century, under commission of Petr I of Rosenberg, on the Promontory of the river Vltava. The layout of the church consists of three parallel arcades merged with a 5 sided presbyterium and rectangular multi-story sacristies on the sides, as well as the Chapel of Resurrection and the St. John Nepomuk Chapel, accessed through the colonnade of eight sided cross section pillars and Gothic four leaf pillars.
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The octagonal tower is rather Romanesque, with an 19th century built Gothic style spire. The white facade inspires monumental verticality with its alternation of high and narrow windows and narrow buttresses and the steep saddle roof.
The main hall of the church has a tracery vault or net vault made of cut stone, in the "parlerian" style which is also encountered at the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
The interior church displays Neo-Gothic splendor, with the net vaults, the pulpits decorated with pinnacles, as well as Renaissance angels and blazes. There is a painting of St. Vitus and the Virgin Mary in the main altar, from the period of Jesuit influence. Three more altars are dedicated to Frantisek Xaversky, the Virgin Mary, St. Wenceslaus and to St. Florian.
The altar in the St. Nepomuk chapel was built in Rococo style , with a solemn golden plated ornament against a dark background. The chapel houses two red marble gravestones from the tombs of Wilhelm von Rosenberg and his wife. Members of the Schwarzenberg family have their hearts buried in the chapel, according to tradition. The silver reliquary contains a piece of an elbow bone of St. John of Nepomuk. The Resurrection chapel is of Gothic style.
The walls of the church feature 15th century frescoes depicting scenes of the Crucifixion, St. Veronica, St. Magdalena, St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine.
The western part of the church houses a late gothic rood screen over a 16th century baptism fountain with red marble columns and a canopy, as well as 3 baroque confessionals.
Occasionally, besides the religious sermons, the St. Vitus church occasionally houses classical music concerts.
