Kostel svatého Vavřince (Strašice) Church

The Church of St. Vavrnice is an important architectural dominant of the village Strašice in the district of Rokycany. It is a Roman Catholic church, which stands in the middle of the cemetery on the hill above the district of the Court, formerly Scarecrow or Little Strašice. The parish church was since 1350, when the estate was won by Peter I. from Rožmberk. The church is protected as a cultural monument and represents one of the most important medieval sacral buildings in southern Rokycanska.

The history of the church is closely linked to the development of medieval Haunted. Archaeological findings show the settlement of the site before the first written mention of the village. Strašice is first mentioned in 1349 as a small town held by the family of Rožmberk, while the church is first documented in writing in 1352. According to historical surveys, however, its foundation is likely to fall into the 13th century.

The oldest part of the building was built in the 1940s. From this period comes presbytery, sacristy and lower part of tower. In the presbytery and sacristy, a Gothic rib arch with a clamp decorated with the coat of arms of the family Rožmberk, which resembles the former patronage over the church. The church was reconstructed in 1637 and again in the second half of the 18th century it underwent a large late Baroque reconstruction, but its Gothic core was preserved.

The church is oriented by a single-boat construction with a polygonally closed presbytery. The north side of the presbytery is adjacent to the sacristy, the west front is closed by the prism tower. The layout of the church reflects several building stages. The Gothic core is made up of presbytery, sacristy and tower, while the ship comes mainly from late Baroque reconstruction. In addition to Gothic structures, the tower has preserved elements of older building development, which are called Romanesque or Romantic.

The presbytery and sacristy on the north side have a Gothic cross rib arch on the consoles, whose clamps belong to the most valuable stoneware articles in the building. The ship is encapsulated with a vaulted vault with sections, typical of Baroque architecture. The exterior is quite moderate. It is read by lizens and profiled moldings from baroque reconstruction. However, the mass solution of the church was preserved by a medieval composition with a significantly removed presbytery.

The most valuable artistic monument of the church are fragments of Gothic wall paintings in presbytery dated about 1380 with Pashian themes of Christ's life. They represent an important piece of medieval wall decoration in Rokycansk and are among the oldest preserved paintings in the region. They were exposed during restoration surveys in the 20th century. In 2011, other Gothic paintings were discovered in the church ship. One of them was exposed and restored and depicts the Virgin Mary with Saint Vincent, Saint Peter and other figures.

The Church of St. Vavrnice is a valuable example of the development of rural sacral architecture, in which the Gothic core was preserved with extensive late Baroque adaptations. The current mobility is mainly from the late Baroque period and from 19th century modifications. The dominance of the presbytery is the main altar dedicated to Saint Vincent, patron saint of the church. The interior is complemented by side altars, pulpit, tin christening tower from 1676 and organ ring.

Today the church is accessible to visitors and is worth visiting for its Gothic core, late Baroque reconstruction and preserved wall paintings. It is a valuable example of the historical development of the Strašice and one of the oldest preserved buildings in the village.