Church of Saint John the Baptist in Slavoňov, Wooden church in Slavoňov, Czech Republic

The Church of Saint John the Baptist is a timber log church on an irregular rectangular plan with a square-ended presbytery facing east, standing in the cemetery at Slavoňov. Its walls rest on a low opuka stone plinth, and the shingled roofs include a small octagonal sanctus turret with a copper-clad onion dome. A separate Renaissance bell tower of 1550, with a masonry base and a boarded bell stage, forms the cemetery entrance.

A Gothic church existed here by 1350 and was destroyed during the Hussite Wars; its appearance is known from a seal in the National Museum in Prague. The present church was built in 1553 with funding from Jan Kotlačka and his son Jan of Blažkov. Originally dedicated to St Martin, it was rededicated to St John the Baptist in 1683 during the Counter-Reformation under Dean Jiří Sidurg of Dobruška, became a local parish in 1786 and a full parish in 1806.

The church was originally dedicated to St. Martin; in 1683, during the Counter-Reformation, the dean of Dobruška, Jiří Sidurg, had it rededicated to St. John the Baptist. The painted arcades inside include a large chalice and the twelve apostles, evidence of its Utraquist past. The bell tower holds three bells: St. John the Baptist, St. John of Nepomuk, and St. Wenceslas.

The church is located in the center of Slavoňov village and easily accessible on foot. Visitors are welcome year-round, though it is advisable to contact the local community in advance to confirm access for tours.

This is one of the few surviving examples of the wooden church construction style typical of northern Bohemia in the 1500s. The visible wooden joints and carpentry techniques reflect building methods that are rarely seen today.