Church of Saint Martin, Religious monument in Racov, Czech Republic

The Church of Saint Martin stands in the eastern part of Racov, in the municipality of Staré Sedlo. It is a single-nave Gothic church with a rectangular presbytery vaulted by a ribbed cross vault ending in a relief boss carved with a maskaron, with ribs on pyramidal corbels. A square western porch with a Baroque semicircular portal dated 1723 leads through a late Gothic pointed portal into the flat-ceilinged nave.

The Gothic church with its cemetery was probably built in the early 14th century, though sources date it variously to the second half of the 13th century or the 15th century. The nave and rectangular presbytery were likely built in one phase. The sacristy dates to about the early 18th century and the porch was added in 1723. The small tower was completed in the second half of the 19th century, and partial reconstruction took place between 1986 and 1990.

The church gave its name to the surrounding settlement, which grew by the Racov ponds, some now vanished, where a marketplace and a manor with a small chateau once stood. The walled cemetery beside it is no longer used for burials.

The church stands in the eastern part of Racov, a village that grew up beside the Racov fishponds, some of which have disappeared. The adjacent walled cemetery is no longer in use. The building has been little used since 1990 and is gradually decaying, so access to the interior may be limited.

The ribs of the presbytery vault meet in a carved keystone showing a mascaron, a face that visitors often miss when looking up. The presbytery ribs rest on pyramid-shaped corbels, and the sacristy vault has a round stucco mirror at its centre.