Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, Gothic church building in Česká Lípa, Czech Republic.
The Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross is a Gothic building in Česká Lípa with characteristic high stone walls and pointed arches. The roof features a vault system typical of the Gothic period that structures the interior space.
The church is first documented in 1389, when Hynek Berka of Dubá sold an endowment for its main altar to mayor Hynk of Weitmile. A town fire damaged it in 1426 and it was consecrated only in 1490; Albrecht of Wallenstein returned it to Catholic use in 1622. Josef Mocker rebuilt it in Neo-Gothic style in 1896–1897, and it was re-consecrated on 19 September 1897 by Bishop Emanuel Schöbl.
The church was long known in German as Kreuzkirche, and until 1939 its street was Kreuzgasse (Cross Street), now Moskevská. Inside hang the coats of arms of the Berka of Dubé and the Lords of Kunštát, families tied to its history, and the choir stalls came from St Nicholas in Prague's Old Town.
Visitors can view the building from outside at any time and explore the Gothic details. The interior is normally open for religious services, so checking opening hours in advance is helpful.
The church was lent to the Orthodox community from 2002 to 2019, with services usually every two weeks; the Česká Lípa Orthodox parish was dissolved in January 2019. The 2021 schematism of the Prague Orthodox eparchy no longer lists the church as a place of Orthodox worship.
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