Church of Saints Simon and Jude, Gothic and Baroque church in Dýšina, Czech Republic

The Church of Saints Simon and Jude in Dýšina is a single-nave building with two towers in a plain, unarticulated west facade. From the early Gothic structure consecrated in 1328 survive the presbytery, vaulted with pear-shaped ribs, and the massive triumphal arch; the nave and towers date from the Baroque rebuilding of 1696.

The church is first mentioned in 1328, when it was consecrated by Přibyslav, auxiliary bishop of Prague; it was built in the first quarter of the 14th century in the Early Gothic style. In 1352 it is documented as a parish church in the tithe registers. It was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1696, when the towers were added, and in 1727 the cemetery wall with a gate, stairway and statue of the Immaculate Virgin was built to a design by the Plzeň builder Jakub Auguston. Further works followed in 1924, 1971, 1999 and 2003.

The church's name links the Holy Trinity with Saints Simon and Jude, whose late-Gothic statues flank the main altar as copies; the altar itself dates from 1666. Above it hangs Jan Herzog's painting of the Holy Trinity from 1851, and a wooden Baroque pulpit of 1723 stands to the right.

The church sits near the village center and is easily accessible from Dýšina railway station, which lies a short walk away. Visiting during daylight hours allows you to appreciate the interior details and see how light enters through the windows.

The main altar dates from 1666 and holds a Baroque replica (1723) of a late-Gothic Madonna and Child; above it hangs a Holy Trinity painting by Plzeň painter Jan Herzog from 1851. The stone baptismal font is older still, carved in 1669.