Church of the Holy Trinity, Gothic and Baroque church in České Budějovice 3, Czech Republic
The Church of the Holy Trinity in České Budějovice is a single-nave church with a slightly irregular five-sided apse, forming the southern part of the former hospital complex. It connects to the originally Gothic transverse wing of the hospital, while a Baroque wing with a volute gable and partially uncovered wall painting stands on the north side.
A plague hospital was first mentioned in 1371; the late Gothic hospital with the Church of the Holy Trinity was built between 1513 and 1515. In 1763 the church was renovated and partly rebuilt in Baroque style, and in 1779 a late Baroque north wing was added. The complex later became a poorhouse.
From 1772 the hospital church was the goal of an annual procession from St Nicholas Church on Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost. The Gothic Madonna of the Holy Trinity, painted around 1410, is now in the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou, and a copy hangs above the church entrance.
The complex stands between Pražská třída and the streets Hálková and U Trojice, with a garden and well on its western side. The buildings belong to the Czech state and are managed by the National Heritage Institute, whose regional office works here. The church reopened to the public in April 2023 after reconstruction.
The ceiling frescoes by František Jakub Prokyš repeat Trinity symbols — a triangle, three rings, three flowers, three suns and three rainbows — a detail easily missed when looking at eye level. A copy of the Gothic Madonna of the Holy Trinity, painted around 1410, hangs above the church entrance; the original is in the Alšova jihočeská galerie in Hluboká nad Vltavou.
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