Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Religious monument in Malá Lhota, Czech Republic.
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows is an early Baroque pilgrimage church built in 1692–96 on the summit of Homole (393 m). It is a single-nave structure with a gable facade turned unusually to the north and a prismatic tower rebuilt in 1740 after a gale. The facade has flat pilasters and a volute gable; two angled chapels from 1703, a 1778 ossuary and a 153-step stone stairway with 16 landings complete the site.
Countess Terezie Eleonora Alžběta of Ugarte, born a countess of Žďár, founded the pilgrimage site on Homole after buying the Borovnice estate in 1688 to be near her daughter at Kostelec nad Orlicí. The foundation stone was laid on 12 May 1692, and the church was built in 1692–96; the three-day ceremonies took place in the presence of Bishop Jan František Kryštof of Talmberk. The countess was buried in the church after her death in 1705, and Borovnice with Homole passed to the Záruba family of Hustířany.
The pilgrimage church is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows and belongs to the Roman Catholic parish of Kostelec nad Orlicí. The countess Terezie Eleonora Alžběta of Ugarte, who founded the site, was buried here after her death in 1705. Two chapels from 1703 stand at an angle by the cemetery wall, dedicated to St John of Nepomuk and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
The building serves as a cultural monument and can be viewed from the exterior to appreciate its architectural features. Visitors should note that access times may vary depending on religious services and local schedules.
The stone stairway to the church has 153 steps and 16 landings, a number chosen so pilgrims could pray the rosary while climbing: the steps match the Hail Marys of the full rosary with three introductory ones, the landings the Our Fathers. Its statues, angels and ornamental vases date from 1767, probably from the workshop of the Hendrich sculptors of Litomyšl.
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