Church of Saint Wenceslaus, Roman Catholic church in Letohrad, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Wenceslaus in Letohrad is a Baroque church built in 1680–1685 by Antonio Demaggio for Hynek Jetřich Vitanovský of Vlčkovice, with a monumental facade facing the square beside the castle. Its vault bears rich stucco decoration by Milanese artists, and the main altar holds Christian Sambach's 1785 painting of Saint Wenceslaus.
Hynek Jetřich Vitanovský of Vlčkovice had the church built in 1680–1685 as a castle chapel; it was consecrated in 1681 by Bishop Jan František Kryštof of Talmberk. The founder's tomb and those of later Kyšperk estate owners are in the church. The Brotherhood Chapel recalls the Marian Brotherhood he founded in 1665 at Orlice.
The church holds the tomb of its founder, Hynek Jetřich Vitanovský of Vlčkovice, and other owners of the Kyšperk estate were buried here. The right-hand door leads to the Brethren Chapel, named after the Marian Brotherhood he founded in 1665 at the Orlice church and later moved to Kyšperk.
The church stands in close proximity to the castle, with its monumental facade facing the square; the entrance is through three central doors, with the left door leading to the sacristy and the right to the Brotherhood Chapel. The interior can be visited on foot from the square.
The stucco vault, probably by Milanese master Giovanni Maderna, cost more than the whole church, and its programme has all creation praising God (Psalms 148 and 150). The 1785 main altar painting by Christian Sambach (1761–1798), son of the Vienna academy director, shows Wenceslaus interceding for the weak.
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