Church of Saint Michael, Church building in Dolní Předměstí, Polička, Czech Republic.
The Church of Saint Michael stands within the Old cemetery of Polička, featuring Renaissance architectural elements with Gothic details that reflect the ecclesiastical design traditions of 16th century Central Europe.
Built in 1572–1576 outside the inner town as a cemetery church, it was originally Evangelical; its author was Ambrož Vlach, probably an Italian settled in Bohemia. A bell tower was added at the cemetery entrance in 1600–1603, and the church was first repaired in 1658. Rococo furnishings date from the 18th century, and the interior was reworked in the second half of the 19th century.
The church is still used for regular services by the Polička parish. A bell cast in 1868 by the Wagner family workshop in Moravská Třebová hangs in the bell tower. The church is a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.
The church stands in the cemetery grounds outside the inner town, with the bell tower at the cemetery entrance and the ossuary nearby; the grave of Bohuslav Martinů lies close to the church. Regular services are held by the Polička parish. The roof has been covered with eternit since 1995.
On the roof, an 11-metre metal-clad tower carries a gilded figure of Death with a drawn crossbow. Local tradition holds that whichever direction the figure turns, someone will die. The bell, cast in 1868 in Moravská Třebová by the Wagner family workshop, hangs in the separate bell tower at the cemetery entrance.
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