Church of Saint Martin in Třešť

The Church of Saint Martin is a Roman Catholic parish church standing on Fritzova Street in Třešť, a small town in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, a short distance from Jihlava. It is the only monument surviving in the town from the medieval period and is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

What does the building look like and how old is it?

The church has a single-nave layout, and its oldest part — a Romanesque core — dates back to the 13th century, when the building was first founded. Construction in the form recognizable today was completed in the second half of the 15th century in the Gothic style, marked by a five-sided apse and a four-sided tower. Over the following centuries the structure was partly reworked in the Baroque style, so the church today combines its Gothic body with later Baroque additions.

What can visitors find inside?

The interior preserves several valuable pieces of historic furnishing. Notable among them is the Gothic tombstone of Jan of Hodice and the Renaissance tombstone of Kryštof Vencelík, both testifying to the site's long history and its ties to local nobility. The furnishings also include a late Gothic stone pulpit, one of the oldest surviving fittings in the church.

Between 1985 and 1989 the church underwent another round of renovation, during which new stained-glass windows created by artist Jan Exnar were installed. Their imagery is thematically linked to the Marian Year declared by Pope John Paul II, making them a relatively recent but symbolically significant addition to the interior.

What surrounds the church?

The church stands in the middle of the grounds of a former cemetery, enclosed by a massive wall. Within this walled area, a mortuary building and wayside shrines have also been preserved. This arrangement — a church set within a walled former cemetery together with accompanying sacred structures — is typical of older parish complexes found in small towns and villages of the region.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Church of Saint Martin located? On Fritzova Street in Třešť, in the Vysočina region, near Jihlava.

Is it the oldest monument in Třešť? Yes, it is the only structure in the town that has survived from the Middle Ages.

What architectural style does the church represent? It combines a 13th-century Romanesque core with a Gothic body completed in the 15th century (five-sided apse, four-sided tower) and later Baroque modifications.

What is worth seeing inside? The Gothic tombstone of Jan of Hodice, the Renaissance tombstone of Kryštof Vencelík, a late Gothic stone pulpit, and stained-glass windows by Jan Exnar from the 1980s.

Are there other historic structures around the church? Yes — the church stands within the grounds of a former walled cemetery, which also preserves a mortuary building and wayside shrines.