kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie (Velké Pavlovice) Church

In the Great Pavlovice district of Břeclav stands the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary - the parish temple of the Roman Catholic parish, whose roots are at least at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, when the first written mention of the local parish church comes. At that time stood in the village a small church dedicated to Saint Catherine. The current construction was built by Count Fridrich z Oppersdorfu in 1670-1680.

The church at that time had no tower with bells; The original bell tower became a separate building directly at the rectory. The transformation of the characteristic silhouette of the temple took place only in 1883, when a 35 m tall tower with a staircase was built into the north facade. The interior equipment is mainly from the middle of the 18th century, so the church bears a clearly layered character - a Baroque foundation, a tower from the second half of the 19th century and a mobiliary from the time of the top Baroque.

In modern history, the church has undergone constant care. In the years 1993- 1994 the tower and roof were replaced. Eleven years later, a new sacristy and a room for mothers and children were added. The whole roof was repaired in 2009- 2010. The most demanding stage was the restoration of the Baroque facade and the temple roof, which lasted almost eight years; in 2016, its second, final phase was completed. This completes the complete restoration of the exterior of the building, including the roof and measures against rising moisture.

The result was awarded in 2017 in the regional competition for the best-repaired memory of the South Moravian Region, where the church received the largest number of votes. The jury highlighted the fact that traditional building and technological procedures corresponding to the time of the last reconstruction, including the colour of the facade coating, were respected as far as possible during the renewal.

The church is also developing today. Since 2023, there has been a gradual installation of stained glass, the author of which is artist Karel Rechlík. The windows on the right side of the ship are dedicated to symbols from the Old Testament - for example, the burning bush - while the windows on the left side display the New Testament symbols: host, sun and fish. The displays lend the interior to a new art and spiritual layer and change the impression of every visit.

For a curious tourist, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is an interesting stop for several reasons: as a proof of Baroque temple architecture in South Moravia, as a place with a proven medieval history and as a living example of how the historical building can be restored carefully and without losing its authenticity.