Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Roman Catholic parish church in Benešov nad Ploučnicí, Czech Republic
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is a late Gothic hall church with three naves, built in Benešov nad Ploučnicí between 1483 and 1557 on the site of an older structure. Its narrower, lower five-sided presbytery has a star rib vault, and the nave's net rib vault rests on octagonal pillars. A massive square tower stands at the northwest corner, and the Salhausen Chapel on the north side holds Renaissance and early Baroque tombstones.
The church was built between 1483 and 1557 on the site of an older structure first mentioned in the mid-14th century, whose tower, probably early 14th-century and damaged in 1426, was repaired by 1487. The presbytery went up in 1483–1511, the three-aisled hall in 1517–1520, and Valentin Hirsch of Prameny vaulted it in 1552–1554, incorporating the old watchtower.
The church's name comes from its main altar painting of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, a Rococo work dated 1780 and flanked by statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The sandstone pulpit by Hans Köhler of Meissen, from the third quarter of the 16th century, replaces the usual supporting foot with a statue of John the Baptist.
The church stands in the centre of Benešov nad Ploučnicí, with the massive square tower at the northwest corner of the nave and the long low sacristy along the south side. The entrance is through the pointed portal in the west facade; the sandstone pulpit by Hans Köhler of Meissen is inside.
The sandstone pulpit by Hans Köhler of Meissen, from the third quarter of the 16th century, has a statue of St John the Baptist where the supporting foot would normally stand, and its inlaid door is dated 1576. The stone font dates from 1483, the year the presbytery was begun.
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