Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Catholic church in Čáslav, Czech Republic

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Čáslav is a low, oriented single-storey building: the walls of the presbytery and the three-aisled nave both reach about 12 m, while the tower is 88.5 m tall. Its oldest part is the Romanesque Church of St Michael, built around the mid-12th century, now serving as the sacristy and joined to the later Gothic choir.

The Romanesque church of St Michael, built around the mid-12th century by the lords of Chlum, survives as today's sacristy; a new presbytery was added after Čáslav was founded post-1248, and the three-aisled nave and St Anne's Chapel followed around the mid-14th century, when the dedication to Peter and Paul appears. Fires in 1452 and 1522 led to rebuilding from 1537, giving the church its present form.

The church bears the names of the apostles Peter and Paul, adopted after the mid-14th-century rebuilding; a 1405 altar of the Holy Apostles is documented. In June 1421 the Bohemian Diet met inside these walls. The Romanesque Church of St Michael, now the sacristy, holds the tomb of Jistislav of Chlum.

The church stands in Čáslav, not on Petrov Hill; the tower reaches 88.5 m and the nave and presbytery walls about 12 m. The tower was declared unsafe in 1825 and repaired at once to a design by court builder Clement Zobel. Look for the dates 1537 on the portal and 1539 on the vault boss.

The tower, 88.5 m high, was rebuilt after being declared dangerous in 1825, following plans by court builder Clement Zobel. Look for the date 1537 carved on the portal and 1539 on the vault keystone, marking the post-fire reconstruction.