Church of Saints Simon and Jude in Bystřice, Gothic church in Bystřice, Czech Republic.
The Church of Saints Simon and Jude is a single-nave Gothic building with a three-sided presbytery, rebuilt in Baroque style in 1666, with an entrance porch on the west facade and a square tower on the north side. The nave has a shallow cross vault without ribs, and the tower's upper corners are divided by pilasters.
The church was probably founded in 1352, when the lords of Dubá held the patronage; their coat of arms appears on the keystone of the presbytery. Swedish troops plundered and burned it on 7 March 1645 after the battle at nearby Jankov. In 1666 the patron Josef Priam of Rovorat had it repaired and rebuilt in Baroque style, adding the nave. A fire in 1813 damaged the tower roof, and Vincenc Daněk of Esse funded a general repair in 1899.
The church's patrons were the lords of Dubá, whose coat of arms with the year 1258 appears on the triumphal arch, facing the Daňek of Esse arms dated 1872. A carved patron's pew with the patrons' coats of arms stood here until the third quarter of the 20th century, when it was moved to the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross in nearby Nesvačily.
The church is located in the village of Bystřice and can be easily spotted from the main roads. Visitors should be aware that regular services take place, which may affect visiting times.
Above the arch dividing the presbytery from the nave are two coats of arms: the lords of Dubé with the year 1258 on the left and the Daňků of Esse with 1872 on the right. In the tower hang two bells, one cast in 1553 by Matěj Špic Slepý and bearing the Šternberk coat of arms.
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