kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie (Bavorov) Church

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is the dominant feature of the South Bohemian town of Bavorov and ranks among the most significant Gothic structures in South Bohemia. It stands west of the town square, between Jirsíkova Street and Doctor Mareš Street.

As early as 1350, there was an older church here that belonged under the church in Velká Blanice. After the extinction of the Bavorov family line, the estate passed to the lords of Rožmberk. Shortly after 1360, they persuaded the vicar to relocate from Velká Blanice to Bavorov. The Bavorov church thus became a parish church, and a new building was constructed on the site of the old one. It was founded by the brothers Jošt, Petr, Oldřich, and Jan of Rožmberk. On the southern portal are the roses of Jan of Rožmberk and the coat of arms of Eliška of Halasu. Based on these, the church was completed between 1370 and 1389, most commonly cited as 1384. It could not have been later, as Jan of Rožmberk died in 1389. In 1384, the brothers established five chaplaincies at the church by charter and determined income for priests, teachers, and hospitals.

The church is constructed from unfinished granite. It has a polygonally enclosed chancel, on whose northern side stands a smaller tower called the Rožmberk Tower with a spiral staircase. There is also a sacristy, which was originally a chapel. Two slate roofs are connected by a brick gable with a cross finial. The roof over the presbytery is lower than the roof over the nave. The walls are supported by buttresses with finials, and most of them feature gargoyles in the form of fantastic creatures.

The higher bell tower on the southwest corner was begun in 1604 by Petr Vlach of Vodňany. In 1649, a city fire struck the church, the vault collapsed, and the entire structure was damaged. Between 1652 and 1654, the Eggenberg builder Petr Spineta reconstructed it, and the original two-aisled structure became a three-aisled church with four pillars. Another fire in 1867 damaged the large tower and destroyed the bells Pavel, Marek, and Marie. The tower was then repaired for two years by the Písek builder Špirhanzl. In December 1869, new bells were installed named Marie, Ida, Jan Nepomuka, and Adolf.

Between 1905 and 1908, the church underwent reGothicization according to plans by Josef Mocker. During both world wars, the bells were confiscated, and only the bell Prokop from 1500 remained on the tower. In 2007, repairs to the church facade and the adjacent rectory were completed.

At the entrance to the courtyard stands a crucifix of larger than life size. The fenced grounds are connected to the rectory by a bridge.