Kostel svatého Bartoloměje (Chvalkovice) Church

The Church of Saint Bartholomew stands on the square in Chvalkovice in the Vyškov region. It is originally a Gothic building and today it is protected as a cultural monument.

The first mention of the church dates from the year 1389. It received its current appearance perhaps in 1689, when the rectory was renovated. In the eighteenth century, a sacristy was added. In 1803, a flat ceiling replaced the previous vault of the nave. The date 1872 on the entrance portal reminds us of the completion of a major repair. In 1884, the church was painted.

The oriented rectangular nave ends with a pentagonal choir. From the sides, pentagonal chapels adjoin it, which open into the nave with wide arches and also have a flat ceiling. In the axis of the western façade stands a quadrangular tower with a small bell from 1782. On the west side is a gallery, vaulted underneath with a flat vault.

The brick columned main altar was created around 1760. It bears a painting of Saint Bartholomew from 1851 and stucco statues of Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara. The side altars are dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Joseph. They are decorated with statues of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and Saint Florian. Opposite the side entrance is another altar with a painting of the Virgin Mary, Saint Elizabeth, the Christ Child, and Saint John the Baptist.

Beneath the church was a tomb, where the estate owners and priests were buried. Two burial stones with Latin inscriptions have been preserved. The first belonged to František Zikmund Žialkovský of Žialkovice, lord of Komárov and Chvalkovice. He died on April 5, 1767, at the age of 78. The second commemorates Kateřina Bojakovská, born Žialkovská, who died on January 20, 1780, at the age of 55 years, 11 months, and 25 days. A third stone belonged to Josefa Žalkovská, born Přepická, who died on April 5, 1730, at the age of 42. That one is not visible today.

In 1884, the tower received three new bells. They were dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph, whose bell was the smallest. Each bore a prayer inscription. Saint Joseph's bell, for example, asked: "Saint Joseph, at the hour of death, stand by us!" The bells were consecrated on March 26, 1884, and they were confiscated during the world war.

In front of the church stand stone statues of Saint Florian from 1746, Saint Ernest from 1856, and the Holy Cross. The statue of Saint Florian once stood higher in the village, on the spot where the statues of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius are today.