Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Gothic religious monument in Tachov, Czech Republic.
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a Gothic triple-nave building with a 70-metre tower at its western end, standing on elevated ground near the former town walls. Its main entrance on the south side is reached through a roofed loggia raised seven steps above the terrain. The church is 45.5 metres long and oriented with the chancel to the east.
The building was constructed in the Middle Ages as a Gothic place of worship and shaped Tachov's townscape for centuries. In the early 1900s it received its current appearance through extensive restoration work.
The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and its Czech name, Kostel Nanebevzetí Panny Marie, is the one used locally. In 1618 the mostly Lutheran town council bought the church, and radical Lutherans then broke seven altars and destroyed relics. The main altar was consecrated in 1663.
The church stands on a raised area beside the former town walls, north of the main square, not in the centre itself. Its main entrance is on the south side, reached by a covered loggia raised seven steps above the ground. The tower, 70 m high, was opened to visitors after repairs in 1945–1946.
The tower, 70 metres high with eight wooden storeys, was used as part of Tachov's defences because the church stands by the former walls. A 1963 fire destroyed the roof trusses of tower and nave and the tower staircase; the church was not re-roofed until 1967–1968.
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