Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Baroque church in Sloup, Czech Republic.
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows is a Roman Catholic parish and pilgrimage church built in 1751–1754 to a design by Italian architect Isidor Marcello Canavale, with Vavřinec Pavel Mertha of Boskovice supervising construction. Its ground plan takes the shape of a turtle, a Marian symbol of protection, and the west facade is closed by two forty-metre towers. Above the main entrance are a Latin inscription from Psalm 113, the building year and the alliance coat of arms of Countess Karolina and Karl Ludwig of Rogendorf.
The church was built in 1751–1754 on the initiative of Countess Karolina of Rogendorf, after the daughter of miller Pavel Severa was reportedly healed before a late-Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary. The architect was Isidor Marcello Canavale, with Vavřinec Pavel Mertha supervising; it was consecrated on 27 October 1754 by Bishop Julius of Troyer. Karolina, who died in 1759, is buried in the crypt.
The main pilgrimage day is the Friday before Palm Sunday, locally called "Květný pátek". A confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows with a black scapular, founded by Countess Karolina, was dissolved under Joseph II and renewed only in 2003, when 300 members joined at the autumn pilgrimage.
The church stands in Sloup, in the Blansko district, with its west front and two 40-metre towers facing the approach; the main pilgrimage day is the Friday before Palm Sunday, locally called "Květný pátek". The interior is open for services, so time a visit around Mass rather than expecting all-day access.
The floor plan is shaped like a turtle, a Marian symbol of protection. The west facade carries a Latin inscription from Psalm 113, the construction year and the alliance coat of arms of Countess Karolina and Karl Ludwig of Rogendorf.
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