Monumental church on a hill
A church has stood on a hill in Přeštice in
Western Bohemia not far from
Plzeň for almost a thousand years. In the first half of the 18
th century, the capacity of the original Gothic church was no longer sufficient so it was replaced by the
monumental church in
Baroque style. Its construction took place from 1750 to 1775 following the outstanding design of
Kilian Ignatius Dientzenhofer, who directed the construction until his death in 1751. Interestingly, the tower domes were completed following the original plans as late as 1995, when the church received an extensive makeover.
Czech Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without Baroque music
The town of Přeštice is also known as
the birthplace of Jakub Jan Ryba, a teacher by profession and
Baroque music composer by volition. He collected folk songs and composed more than 1300 pieces of music. Being considered the most famous of his compositions, the
Czech Christmas Mass definitely must not be missing from the repertoire of any choir at Christmas.