Kostel svatého Václava (Machov) Church

The Church of Saint Wenceslas in Machov is a Roman Catholic subsidiary church belonging to the deanery of Police nad Metují. Previously it was the parish church of the local parish. It is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

The oldest written mention of the church dates from the year 1369, though it was probably already a parish church before 1354. The first church was wooden, and around 1586 a wooden bell tower was added to it. In 1670 the wooden church was torn down and replaced at the same location by a stone church, presumably with the contribution of Lawrence Piccolomini. It received plaster both inside and outside only in the year 1720.

In 1685 a new, separately standing stone bell tower was built. When it was demolished in 1885, a foundation stone from the original wooden bell tower was discovered above its entrance. It bears an old Czech inscription with the year 1586 and the name of the then reeve Matěj Kulhanka. Today it is bricked in above the organ. Next to it is the foundation stone from the later bell tower. According to the inscription on it, the tower was erected on September 3rd, 1685 to the honor and glory of Saint Wenceslas in the town of Machov. The small tower above the chancel dates from 1810, the pyramidal tower from 1885.

The church stands on an elevated spot beyond the town square with its main entrance facing west. It is built in the style of late Renaissance. It has a single nave, a presbytery closed by a rounded end, and a sacristy on the north side. It is vaulted with a barrel vault with recesses for windows.

The Neo-Renaissance altars from 1899 are the work of the sculptural firm Petr Bušek and Sons from Sychrova. The main altar of Saint Wenceslas has a tabernacle with a rotating interior and an altar painting by Vilém Kandler from 1894. On the left side stands the altar of Saint Benedict with statuettes of Saint Scholastica and Saint Frances. On the right side is the altar of the Sorrowful Virgin Mary with statuettes of Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Joseph. The baptismal font is sandstone, Rococo style, with a statuette on the top plate.

The Stations of the Cross consist of skillfully painted images based on designs by Führich. They were purchased in Vienna from the firm Zambach and Müller and placed in niches in the walls. On the projections on both sides of the nave stand statues of Saint Wenceslas, Saint John of Nepomuk, Saint Ludmila and the Virgin Mary of the Rosary. They come from the firm Josef Runggaldier from Grödén.