Church of Saint Anne, Cultural monument church in Rajnochovice, Czech Republic.
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Saint Anne is a Baroque single-nave building erected in 1711–1716, probably to plans by Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. Its 37 m tower was lowered in 1754, and the facade carries the coat of arms of Cardinal Wolfgang von Schrattenbach between statues of Saints John of Nepomuk and John Sarkander. Inside, a 38 m nave is covered by a barrel vault with lunettes and stucco by Baltazar Fontana.
The baroque church was built between 1711 and 1716 on the orders of Olomouc bishop Cardinal Wolfgang Hannibal von Schrattenbach, probably to plans by the Italian architect Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. Bells were hung in 1717, a separate parish was established in 1727, and the church was consecrated on 25 July 1742. A wooden church dedicated to Saint Anne is said to have stood on the cemetery site, possibly from the 12th century.
The church is called the "Wallachian cathedral" for its size in this mountain village. Its main altar holds a carved group of Saint Anne with Mary, the child Jesus and a knight, made, by legend, as thanks by a former Templar who lived as a hermit nearby. Pilgrimages were held three times a year before the war, and until 1951 also on Easter Monday and Whit Monday.
The church stands in the centre of Rajnochovice, with a wide staircase leading up to the entrance façade. The tower, reduced in 1754 for safety reasons, now measures 37 m. In front of the façade stand a sandstone crucifix and a Pieta statue dated 1815, both protected cultural monuments.
The church is nicknamed the "Wallachian cathedral" for its size. Its organ case from 1720 was reinstalled in 1930 and is decorated with a figure of King David and angels playing cornets, an old instrument.
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