Church of Saint Michael

The Church of Saint Michael in Přerov is one of the oldest religious buildings in this Moravian town, today serving as a filial church after spending most of its history tied to the local cemetery. Standing in the town centre, it has survived plunder, demolition and a devastating fire, and still bears traces of each chapter of that story.

Where did the church come from?

The origins of the building reach back to the early Middle Ages, with the first written records dating to the 13th century. It most likely began as a small chapel belonging to the former settlement of Šířava, which bordered the town marketplace and was later absorbed as Přerov grew. That modest chapel was the seed from which the present-day church eventually developed.

What role did it play in the town's life?

During the medieval period, the Church of Saint Michael is thought to have served as Přerov's original parish church. Once the settlement was granted town rights, that role passed elsewhere, and from then until the 19th century the church functioned mainly as a cemetery church. A tangible link to that era survives in a bell cast in 1496, bearing the Latin inscription "Ad honorem Sancti Michaelis" — "In honour of Saint Michael." The bell hung in the church's original tower and remains one of the oldest artefacts connected to the building.

How did the church survive wars and fires?

The building's history has been far from peaceful. In 1643, during the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops plundered it. In 1718 the church was torn down, and it was rebuilt four years later. Another major turning point came with a thorough reconstruction carried out in 1791–1792. The heaviest blow fell on 17 August 1868, when a large fire swept through Přerov: the flames destroyed the church's interior furnishings, and the tower, weakened by the heat, collapsed along with its bells and clock. The church seen today is therefore the result of repeated rebuilding after successive disasters.

Who has cared for the church in recent centuries?

From 1857 the building was placed in the care of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based in a neighbouring convent, who looked after it for nearly a century. After the sisters were expelled in 1950, amid the persecution of religious orders in postwar Czechoslovakia, the church became a filial church of the Přerov parish — a role it still holds today.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Church of Saint Michael located? It stands in the centre of Přerov, in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.

How old is the church? Its history dates back to the 13th century, though the building's present form reflects several later reconstructions, notably the 1718–1722 rebuild and the repairs following the 1868 fire.

Why was the church used mainly for burials? Once Přerov gained town status, another church took over as the main parish church, leaving Saint Michael's to serve chiefly as a cemetery church until the 19th century.

What survives from the church's earliest history? A bell cast in 1496, inscribed in Latin in honour of Saint Michael, has survived to the present day, even though the tower it originally hung in was destroyed in the 1868 fire.

Is this the only Church of Saint Michael near Přerov? No — a separate church with the same dedication stands in Nový Přerov in South Moravia, but it is an entirely different, unrelated building.