Church of Saint Lawrence

The Church of Saint Lawrence in Rumburk is a Baroque subsidiary church that, together with the adjoining Capuchin monastery, forms one of the most notable religious complexes in northern Bohemia. The complex stands at the corner of Třída 9. května and Komenského streets, right in the center of Rumburk, a town in the Šluknovsko region on the edge of Czech Switzerland, close to the German border.

What is the history of the church and monastery?

The church and the Capuchin monastery were built together between 1683 and 1690 as a single Baroque complex. Capuchin friars ran the monastery without interruption until 1950, when the communist authorities of Czechoslovakia violently dissolved male religious orders across the country — the Capuchins were forced to leave Rumburk, and the monastery lost its original purpose. Despite this rupture, the buildings survived, and since 1966 the entire complex — the church, the monastery, and the adjoining Loreto chapel — has been protected as a cultural monument.

What is inside the Loreto chapel?

On the southeastern side of the church stands a Loreto chapel with an ambulatory, built shortly after the main monastery building was completed. It is a faithful copy of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy — the place where, according to tradition, Mary was born. The Rumburk replica is the northernmost structure of this kind, making it a unique site on the religious map of Central Europe.

What can visitors see inside the church?

The interior follows a longitudinal layout, with a side chapel dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua and a Capuchin choir separated from the nave by a wooden partition — a remnant of the era when friars took part in liturgy apart from lay worshippers. The main altar holds a painting depicting the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, brought to Rumburk from Spain. The church also preserves an original monastery nativity scene from 1922, considered the largest nativity scene in the entire Šluknovsko region.

Why is this complex worth visiting?

The combination of Baroque monastery architecture, a unique copy of the Holy House of Loreto, and well-preserved interior features — the painting from Spain and the historic nativity scene — makes the Church of Saint Lawrence one of the most significant religious monuments along the Czech Switzerland and Šluknovsko trail. It also stands as a testimony to the difficult history of religious orders in 20th-century Czechoslovakia.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Church of Saint Lawrence located? In the center of Rumburk, at the corner of Třída 9. května and Komenského streets, in the Šluknovsko region of northern Bohemia.

When was the church built? The church and the Capuchin monastery were built together between 1683 and 1690.

What is the Loreto chapel next to the church? It is a faithful copy of the Holy House of Loreto, regarded as the northernmost structure of its kind.

Are Capuchin friars still active in Rumburk? No — the friars were forced to leave the monastery in 1950 as part of the communist dissolution of male religious orders in Czechoslovakia.

What is the main highlight inside the church? A painting of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence brought from Spain, and an original nativity scene from 1922, the largest one in the Šluknovsko region.

Is the complex a protected monument? Yes, since 1966 the entire complex — the church, the monastery, and the Loreto chapel — has been protected as a cultural monument.