Church of Saint Martin in Nicov, Medieval church building in Nicov, Czech Republic.
The Church of Saint Martin in Nicov is a single-nave Romanesque building with a square presbytery and a prismatic tower, later Baroque-modified. Its facade ends in a simple Baroque gable, and the east wall preserves an original Romanesque window. The nave, over 14 metres long with a flat ceiling, is separated from the cross-vaulted presbytery by a triumphal arch. A tower with a pyramidal roof adjoins the south wall.
The oldest sanctuary on the site was built between 1220 and 1240; by 1356 the church is documented as the parish church of Nicov. From 1296 to 1301 it belonged to the Benedictine monastery at Ostrov u Davle, confirmed in 1310 by Pope Clement V as a monastery chapel. After the Hussite wars it passed to the Kašperk castle estate, and in 1584 to the town of Kašperské Hory. The nave was extended and the tower lowered in the 19th century, and a sacristy and porch were added in 1866.
In the 19th century pilgrims from Horská Kvilda and the surrounding area came here to ask a blessing for the health of their herds. A regular visitor was the Šumava strongman Rankl Sepp, born Josef Klostermann (1819–1888), who farmed at Ranklov near Zlatá Studna and later bought a farm at Jáchymov near Stachy. Because he spoke no Czech, he attended the German services at Nicov rather than the Czech ones at Stachy.
The building sits in Nicov, southeast of Kašperské Hory in the mountain region of Šumava, and can be reached by marked paths from the road. Being located on elevated terrain means visitors should be prepared for uneven ground.
The church stands at 885 metres, making it one of the highest-situated churches in the Czech Republic. Its tower bell carries an inscription of the four evangelists' names in Gothic majuscule and dates from the 14th century. The organ, probably by the Tachov organ builder Gartner, dates from 1811.
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