Church of Saint John the Baptist, Baroque church in Paštiky, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint John the Baptist is a single-nave Baroque building with a square chancel, both articulated by cornices and pilasters, standing on a high terrace reached by a double staircase. It was built in 1747–1753 to plans by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, near the end of his life. The nave ends in a gallery holding Rococo organs.
Anna Marie Alžběta Františka Serenyová-Valdštejnová commissioned the church, built from 1747 to 1753 on the site of an earlier Gothic chapel. Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer supplied the plans late in his life; the interior carvings and paintings were made in the mid-18th century by Ferdinand Ublaker and J. V. Spitzer.
The interior displays works by sculptor Ferdinand Ublaker and painter J. V. Spitzer, whose decorations reflect Rococo design throughout the space. The organ positioned in the gallery is a central feature of the artistic arrangement.
The church stands on a high terrace reached by a double staircase, and the cemetery lies beside it. The 2018–2019 renovation, funded by the EU and the Blatná parish with over 20 million CZK, renewed roofs, facades, stained glass and paths, and gilded the tower cupola.
Above the churchyard entrance are two granite skulls, called the "Paštiky Death". They were stolen in March 2020 and returned overnight on 21–22 March 2020; a cemetery gate with stone skulls and a cup stands at the eastern end.
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