Church of Saint John the Evangelist (Švihov)

The Church of Saint John the Evangelist in Švihov is an unassuming Gothic building on the edge of town that most visitors would never guess used to be a church at all. Behind the plain facade of what now looks like an ordinary house, a five-hundred-year-old Gothic vault is still hiding under the plaster.

Where did this building come from?

The church began as part of a town hospital — both are first documented together in 1342. In the medieval period, hospitals attached to churches served as shelters for the poor, the elderly, and travelers rather than medical facilities in the modern sense. Švihov's hospital and chapel stood at the edge of town, a typical arrangement, since institutions caring for the sick and poor were usually kept away from the town center.

What changed in the early 16th century?

Around 1504 the building underwent a thorough rebuilding commissioned by Půta Švihovský, a royal judge and the owner of the Švihov estate — a member of the same family that built the town's famous water castle. The nave and chancel received net and star vaulting at that time, with the Švihov family's coats of arms carved onto the rib consoles. This decorative detail is the clearest surviving evidence of the building's former importance: the hospital chapel was no makeshift structure but solid Gothic sacred architecture.

How did the church lose its religious function?

In 1770 the building was still repaired and newly furnished, but that turned out to be the final chapter of its life as a place of worship. In 1788 the church was closed and sold to a townsman named Tomáš Maršálek, who converted it into a residential house. Secularizations of small churches and chapels like this one were common across the Habsburg monarchy in this period, as Josephine reforms dissolved many minor ecclesiastical foundations considered redundant.

What can visitors see there today?

The building still functions as a private residence and is not open to the public on the inside. Despite numerous alterations over the centuries — including a floor inserted into the chancel and part of the nave — valuable fragments of the original Gothic structure survive, visible mainly in the building's overall form and partly in its exterior walls. The town of Švihov has stated plans to eventually open the building to visitors and set up an exhibition on medieval hospital care, though for now this remains an intention rather than a reality.

How do you get to the church?

The building stands at the edge of Švihov, close to the historic town center, which itself is best known for its impressive Gothic water castle. It's worth combining a short walk to the former hospital church with a visit to the town center — the distance is minimal, and the contrast between the well-groomed, tourist-ready castle and the forgotten, secularized chapel says a lot about the different layers of the same town's history.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit the inside of the Church of Saint John the Evangelist? No, the building is currently a private residence and is not open to visitors.

How old is this church? The church and its hospital are first mentioned together in 1342, and its current Gothic vaulting dates from around 1504.

Why did the church stop serving a religious function? It was closed in 1788 and sold for residential use — a common fate for many small churches during that period.

Is the building connected to Švihov Castle? Yes — the early 16th-century rebuilding was commissioned by Půta Švihovský, a member of the family that built the town's well-known water castle.