Church of Saint Clemens, Roman Catholic church in Levý Hradec, Czech Republic.
The Church of Saint Clemens is a church building on the hilltop of Levý Hradec, near Roztoky, overlooking the Vltava River valley. It stands within the grounds of a former fortified settlement and is listed as part of a protected cultural heritage site in the Czech Republic.
Prince Bořivoj I had the first Christian church in Bohemia built here between 882 and 884, shortly after his baptism in Moravia. Over the following centuries the building was rebuilt and expanded, with each new structure placed directly over the earlier one.
The hill where the church stands has been treated as a sacred place since the earliest days of Christianity in Bohemia. Visitors today can look out over the Vltava valley from the same spot where the first Bohemian Christians gathered.
The hill is reached on foot from Roztoky along a path with a steady uphill walk of about 20 to 30 minutes. Solid footwear is recommended, as the path can become slippery after rain.
Excavations led by Ivan Borkovský in the 1930s and 1950s uncovered the foundations of several churches built on top of one another at this spot. This means the site was never truly abandoned, even as each generation tore down and rebuilt the structure from scratch.
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