Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Plzeň, Gothic Catholic church in Vnitřní Město, Czech Republic
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a Gothic structure with cross-ribbed vaults and multiple chapels dedicated to different saints inside. The interior blends Gothic elements with a Baroque main altar based on a Rubens painting.
The church suffered major damage from Hussite forces and later from Mansfeld's army, requiring multiple reconstructions afterward. The rebuilding stretched over decades and faced significant delays due to the chaos of the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century.
The church keeps the Gothic wooden Franciscan Madonna above the tabernacle, placed there in 1692; it imitates the stone Plzeň Madonna in St Bartholomew's Cathedral. The gate at the entrance, with wrought-iron grille and the letters "OFM", dates from 1925, and the alley behind it once held statues of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
The church stands in the southeast part of Plzeň's inner town, next to the former Franciscan monastery. Entry is through a gate with a wrought-iron grille from 1925 bearing the letters "OFM"; behind it a narrow passage with niches once held statues of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The organ is in poor technical condition, so concerts are not a given.
The tower bell Anna was cast in 1994 and hung in the tower only in August 2021; it was the first bell cast in the Plzeň diocese after the communist takeover. The church entrance is a gate with a wrought-iron grille from 1925 bearing the letters "OFM", and the lane behind it once held niches with statues of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
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