Церковь Святой Троицы, Roman Catholic castle church in Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Czech Republic

The Holy Trinity Church is a Baroque structure with a five-sided presbytery framed by a sacristy and a monumental western facade featuring high pilasters and decorative oval openings. Inside, the cross-ribbed vaulting dominates the ceiling, while a rectangular Loreto chapel with coffered decoration adds another layer to the interior composition.

Kryštof Betengl had the Gothic church built from 1594 as a family tomb; it was consecrated in 1602 and abandoned from 1627. In 1713 Jan Blažej Santini added the tall west facade with Ionic pilasters. A fire in 1798 destroyed the vault, and František Pavíček rebuilt it in Neo-Gothic style between 1838 and 1844.

The Loreto chapel was consecrated on 24 March 1714 by Jan Adam, Bishop of Hradec Králové, and stands in the centre of the west facade, on the axis of the château. Beside it are two oval rooms; the northern one opens into the Chapel of the Infant Jesus of Prague.

The building can be entered through two neo-Gothic portals, giving you a good sense of the style that was added during later renovations. Allow yourself time to explore the various interior features and decorations at a leisurely pace.

The bell in the separate one-storey bell tower, finished in 1604, carries an inscription naming its founder Jan Kryštof Betengl and its caster Jan Benešovský of Moravská Třebová; the text dates the church's founding to 1594 and its consecration to 1602.