Church of Saint Ambrose, Romanesque church near Přeštice, Czech Republic

The Church of Saint Ambrose is a single-nave Romanesque church with a Gothic presbytery, standing about 2 km northeast of Přeštice near the Úhlava River. Its tower, measuring 4.13 by 4.33 metres, has a mansard roof and only narrow slits instead of windows. The nave walls are 11 metres long, and the presbytery is vaulted with a ribbed cross vault whose keystones show a pelican and a blessing Christ.

The church was probably built around the mid-13th century by the Kladruby Benedictines, who owned the Přeštice estate and the village of Vícov. It was first mentioned in writing in 1323. During the Hussite Wars it was burned with the village, repaired in the early 16th century by the Švihovský family of Rýzmberk, and altered again in the mid-18th century. In 1822 locals saved it from demolition.

The church is dedicated to Saint Ambrose, whose life is depicted in Gothic wall paintings from around 1520: one shows him exorcising a demon, the other his death, with the bishop Honoratus kneeling at his feet. The lily on the cornice above the walled-up sanctuary is the emblem of the Kladruby Benedictines, who founded the church.

The church stands about 2 km northeast of Přeštice on a gentle slope near the Úhlava River, with the walled enclosure of the former cemetery around it. It was fully closed in 2005 for repairs that ran until 2010, and visits were first opened to the public in 1999 during the European Heritage Days. Access is irregular, so arrange a visit in advance.

The church has a single tower with a mansard roof and no windows, only narrow slits, a reminder of its former defensive role. Inside, one vault boss shows a pelican feeding its young with its own flesh, the other a blessing Christ holding a book.