Church of Saint Nicholas

St Nicholas Church in Pilsen (Plzeň) is one of the oldest surviving religious buildings in the Czech city of Plzeň, now serving as a Greek Catholic parish church. It stands in the city's eastern district, Východní Předměstí, and remains an active place of worship for the local Greek Catholic community.

When was the church built?

Tradition holds that a townsman named Vít Malíř founded the church in 1406 on his own vineyard. Historical research, however, suggests the building may date back as far as around 1340, when the site belonged to the Mitrvald estate owned by the lords of Litice. In 1414 a cemetery was established next to the church, serving nearby residents for centuries afterward.

How has the building changed over time?

The original Gothic structure has been rebuilt several times. Between 1739 and 1744 it received a Baroque makeover, including a new portal and an additional side aisle. A sacristy was added in 1909. As a result of these successive changes, the church today combines Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-Renaissance elements and has two naves. On 3 May 1958 the building was entered into the register of protected monuments.

What happened to the church in the 20th century?

From 1910 to 1913 the church was cared for by Dominican friars, before they built their own Church of Our Lady of the Rosary together with a monastery elsewhere in the city. On the night of 21–22 December 1990, a fire damaged the sacristy. In 1993 the building was handed over to the Greek Catholic parish, which still uses it today, and a restoration project has been under way since 2010.

Can visitors attend a service?

Yes — the church functions as an active parish church. Liturgies are celebrated on Sundays at 9:30 (in Ukrainian) and 11:00 (in Church Slavonic), and on Wednesdays at 18:30. The parish, based at Plzeňská 562/103, also covers the surrounding districts of Plzeň-North, Plzeň-South, Rokycany, Klatovy, Domažlice and Tachov. If your goal is purely to see the interior, it's worth timing a visit around these service hours.

Why is it worth seeing?

The church is an unusual regional example of a building that has changed architectural style and denomination several times over the centuries, yet has kept an unbroken religious function stretching back to the Middle Ages, despite a fire and repeated rebuilding. For visitors to Plzeň, it offers a chance to see a structure that blends Gothic origins with Baroque decoration and present-day use by the city's Greek Catholic community.

Frequently asked questions

Where is St Nicholas Church located? In Plzeň, Czech Republic, in the eastern Východní Předměstí district.

Who uses the church today? Since 1993 it has belonged to the Greek Catholic parish of Plzeň.

What architectural style is it built in? It mixes Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-Renaissance elements, the result of centuries of rebuilding, most notably the Baroque works of 1739–1744.

Is the church a protected monument? Yes, it has been listed in the register of cultural monuments since 3 May 1958.