Church of Saint John of Nepomuk, Roman Catholic church in Zálesní Lhota, Czech Republic.
The Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is a single-nave Neo-Gothic church in Zálesní Lhota, designed by Alfred von Vebr and built under engineer Václav Repiš. A rectangular clock tower with a white dial rises beside the nave. Inside, the vault of the main nave carries paintings of the seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy, with the chief truths of the faith in the centre.
A wooden single-nave church with a bell tower, first dedicated to Saint John of Nepomuk, stood here from 1595. By 1881 it was so dilapidated that it was demolished and its timber reused for barns in Zálesní Lhota. A new church was built at once to a design by Alfred von Vebr, with engineer Václav Repiš in charge of construction; the bishop of Hradec Králové, Josef Hais, consecrated it on 29 June 1884.
The church is named for John of Nepomuk, to whom the main altar is dedicated; the glass in the Gothic windows beside it shows Saints Peter and Paul. The chancel arch is filled with figures of the "Czech heaven" — Cyril and Methodius, Adalbert, Vitus, Agnes, Wenceslas, Ludmila, Procopius, Zdislava and Norbert — guarding the village and its church.
The church stands in Zálesní Lhota, in the Náchod District of the Královéhradecký Region, reached by local roads. The rectangular tower carries a clock with a white dial, a useful landmark when approaching the village. Inside, look up at the vault of the main nave, where the painted scenes are arranged in rows.
The vault paintings of the main nave show the seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy, with the central band presenting the main truths of faith from the Creation and the Fall to the Last Judgement. The spiritual works are drawn from biblical scenes, such as the prophet Nathan rebuking David and Saint Stephen forgiving his persecutors.
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