Church of the Holy Trinity, Parish church in Horní Štěpanice, Czech Republic
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a single-nave Empire-style parish church standing by the cemetery in Horní Štěpanice. A prismatic tower with a helm roof and three dormer projections holding clock faces rises above it, and a small sanctus turret carries a mansard onion dome. A wooden porch protects the main entrance from heavy snow; the nave has a flat ceiling while the presbytery is vaulted.
A stone church probably stood here by 1304, built most likely by Jan of Valdštejn, lord of the estate; the oldest surviving record is a 1352 tax register. It was consecrated to St Lawrence, and the dedication was changed to the Holy Trinity in 1700 for reasons that remain unclear. Rebuilt in late Baroque style in 1796, it received its tower and present Empire form in 1812.
The church was first consecrated to Saint Lawrence; in 1543 this dedication is documented, and in 1700 it was changed to the Holy Trinity for reasons the sources do not explain. The parish was raised to independent status on 17 August 1721, when the abandoned rectory was restored. The tower holds a bell from 1553, still rung today, and a 1994 bell named Saint Wenceslas consecrated by Mons. Karel Otčenášek.
The church stands by the cemetery in Horní Štěpanice, part of the Krkonoše municipality of Benecko in the Semily district. A wooden porch in front of the main entrance shields it from heavy snowfall. The parish belongs to the Jilemnice vicariate of the Hradec Králové diocese.
The tower's clock faces sit in three dormer projections on the prismatic tower, which is topped by a helmet and a small sanctus turret with a mansard onion dome. The original shingle roofing was entirely replaced by sheet metal. A wooden porch protects the main entrance from heavy snowfall.
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