Church of Saint Nicholas

St. Nicholas Church in Šitbořice is the parish church of the Roman Catholic parish of Šitbořice, located in the Břeclav District of the South Moravian Region in the Czech Republic. The current neo-Romanesque building was constructed between 1910 and 1913 on the site of a much older church and still serves as the village's parish church today.

How old is the church in Šitbořice?

The history of a sacred site here reaches far back before the present building. The first church dedicated to St. Nicholas was built in Šitbořice before 1255 — its founder is unknown, which points to very early, medieval origins for the parish. That original church stood for several centuries before meeting a dramatic end.

What happened to the old church?

In 1645 the church burned down along with the entire village, a disaster tied to the turbulent Thirty Years' War, which repeatedly devastated Moravia with raids and fires. The church was subsequently rebuilt in Baroque style, with work completed in 1669. This Baroque church served the parish for more than two hundred years; its appearance is known today only from photographs taken around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, as none of the building itself survives.

Why was a new church built in the early 20th century?

By the late 19th century, the Baroque church could no longer accommodate the growing population of Šitbořice — it was simply too small for all parishioners attending services. Preparations began for a new, larger church on the same site as its predecessors. The new neo-Romanesque, single-nave building was constructed between 1910 and 1913. It was solemnly consecrated on 28 September 1913, the feast day of St. Wenceslas, patron saint of the Czech lands — a detail that gave the occasion extra symbolic weight for the local community.

Is the church still in use today?

Yes. St. Nicholas Church is used every day, and several hundred parishioners attend Sunday Mass — a sign that the parish community of Šitbořice remains lively and numerous more than a century after the current building's consecration. The church remains the religious and social center of the village, and its neo-Romanesque form, with the style's characteristic massing and simplified round-arched windows and vaults, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the local landscape.

Where exactly is the church located?

The building stands in the center of Šitbořice, a village in the Břeclav District of the South Moravian Region, on a site that has continuously held a parish church since the Middle Ages — first a predecessor from before 1255, then a 17th-century Baroque church, and since 1913 the present neo-Romanesque building.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the church in Šitbořice dedicated to? The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, hence its name, St. Nicholas Church.

When was the current church building constructed? The present neo-Romanesque building was built between 1910 and 1913 and consecrated on 28 September 1913.

Did earlier churches stand on this site? Yes. The first church here existed before 1255, burned down along with the village in 1645, and the rebuilt Baroque church from 1669 served the parish until the current church was built in the early 20th century.

Can visitors attend services at the church today? The church is used daily, and Sunday Masses regularly draw several hundred people from the local parish.