Church of Our Lady of Sorrows

The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows stands in Rabštejn nad Střelou, a tiny quarter of the town of Manětín in the Plzeň region, tucked into a deep valley carved by the Střela river. It is one of the more unusual stops on a western Bohemia itinerary — a modest church at the heart of a settlement that has long been counted among the smallest towns in the country.

Why does this valley have a monastic history?

The site's story begins in the late 15th century. In 1483, Burian II of Gutštejn founded a Carmelite monastery here. It did not last — in 1532, local non-Catholic townspeople looted and burned it to the ground, and for more than a century the hillside above the Střela stood without any religious community.

Reconstruction only began when Count Jan Šebestián of Pötting founded a new monastery in 1665, this time for the Servite order. The monastery building itself was finished in 1672, but the church came much later, completed in 1767. Its design is attributed to the architect Anselmo Lurago, known for Baroque work elsewhere in Bohemia at the time.

How did this church become the town's parish church?

The very year the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows was finished, the Servite monastery was dissolved, and the new building immediately took over as the parish church for the whole town. Before that, parish duties belonged to an older church dedicated to Saint Matthew, which stood between today's church and the local chateau. Once it lost its role, that older building was demolished in 1787 — nothing of it remains today, leaving the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows as the only church left standing in town.

What else is worth seeing beyond the church itself?

Rabštejn nad Střelou rewards a slow walk, not just a quick look at the church. Down in the valley stands a Gothic stone bridge built between 1335 and 1340, considered one of the oldest surviving stone bridges in the Czech Republic, second in age to only a handful of others nationwide. Around the church and former monastery you will also find a chateau, a chapel known locally as the Loreta, a row of burgher houses on the small square, and a modest local museum. The whole ensemble feels like a living postcard from centuries past — today Rabštejn is home to only a few dozen permanent residents.

How do you get to Rabštejn nad Střelou?

The town sits roughly 30 kilometres north of Pilsen, in a side valley best reached by car via the roads leading out from Manětín, the main administrative centre of this part of the municipality. Given how compact the settlement is, it makes sense to park at the edge of town and continue on foot, looping past the bridge, the former monastery, the chateau and the church in a single walk.

When is the best time to visit?

Valleys like this one, cut deep into the landscape of the Plzeň region, look their best in spring and summer, when greenery along the Střela sets off the Baroque lines of the monastery and church. It is worth checking opening hours locally before setting out, since access to the interiors in smaller towns of this region can be seasonal.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows still an active parish church? Yes. After the Servite monastery was dissolved in 1767, the church took over as the parish church for the whole town, a role it still holds today.

What stood on this site before the current church? First a Carmelite monastery founded in 1483 and burned down in 1532, then, from 1665, a Servite monastery, within which the present church was built in 1767.

Is it worth combining the church with other nearby sights? Definitely — the same valley holds a Gothic stone bridge from 1335–1340, a chateau, and a chapel known as the Loreta, while the small square still has its row of historic burgher houses.

How small is the town of Rabštejn itself? It is one of the smallest settlements with town status in the Czech Republic — only a few dozen people live there, which makes walking through it an unusually intimate experience.