Church of Saint Lawrence, Religious monument in Žákava, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Lawrence is a single-nave church in Žákava with a rectangular nave and an eastern presbytery closed by a six-rib vault. A square tower with a pyramidal roof adjoins the presbytery's eastern wall, and a square sacristy with a flat ceiling stands on its north side. A Baroque cemetery wall surrounds the church.
The church is first documented in 1354, and its oldest surviving part is the presbytery with a ribbed vault from the first half of the 14th century. The nave walls, triumphal arch and presbytery window are probably original, and the thick-walled sacristy may conceal an earlier tower. The church was altered in the late 14th and 16th centuries, then rebuilt in Baroque style in the 18th century, when the choir, west entrance and new nave windows were added. The tower and roof trusses date from the late 18th or early 19th century.
The church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence, whose statue crowns the main altar with its acanthus carving. The early Baroque furnishings date from the late 17th century, and the pulpit bears the year 1637. A protected statue of Saint Wenceslas stands northwest of the building.
The church stands on a low hill, reached by footpaths from the village; the surrounding baroque cemetery wall encloses the grounds. A heritage-protected statue of Saint Wenceslas stands northwest of the church, so the two can be seen on the same walk. The tower staircase dates only from the 20th century.
The sacristy walls are unusually thick, which suggests that a tower may originally have stood there. The church also holds an early Baroque pulpit dated 1637, and its main altar is centred on a statue of Saint Lawrence.
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