Saint Joachim Church, Lutheran church in Jáchymov, Czech Republic.
The Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne is a three-aisled hall church built in 1534–1540, with a tower that rises 56 metres after the 1875 rebuilding. Its west side has a mining portal whose weathered stone frame carries a portrait of town founder Stephan Schlick, carved by Jörg of Bamberg.
Construction took place between 1534 and 1540, making it the first Lutheran religious building in Czech lands and marking the rise of Protestantism in Central Europe. A devastating fire in 1873 required extensive restoration by architect Josef Mocker, who preserved historical features while rebuilding.
The church was built by the Schlick counts, who introduced the Reformation in Joachimsthal in 1523 and placed their burial vault inside; the white marble slab over its entrance was shattered by falling roof timbers in the 1873 fire. Since 8 November 1987 it has held the status of pilgrimage church for the traditional Marian pilgrimages.
The church stands on a steep slope in the upper part of town, with the Miners' Portal on the west side facing the Svornost mine; that portal sits below road level. The building is not oriented east-west: its long axis runs northwest to southwest, with the presbytery at the southeast end. The tower, 56 m since 1875, is set in front of the presbytery's east wall.
The church was built to hold up to 3,000 people, reflecting Jáchymov's growth into one of Bohemia's largest settlements with around 18,000 inhabitants during the 16th-century silver boom. The Schlick counts also placed their burial vault inside, whose white marble entrance slab was shattered by falling roof timbers in the 1873 fire.
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