Church of Saint Procopius

The Church of Saint Procopius in Nadslav is a small Gothic church standing on a rise among the fields of eastern Bohemia, within the municipality of Podhradí, close to the village of Střevač. The single-nave church is surrounded by a cemetery laid out on an almost circular plan and enclosed by a stone wall, giving the whole site the feel of an old, rural burial ground that has changed little over the centuries. The building has been protected as a cultural monument since 1964.

How old is the church?

Historians date the church's origins to around 1340 and connect its founding with Zdeněk, known as Straník (recorded in Latin sources as Sdessos), the owner of the nearby villages of Střevač and Nadslav and the church's presumed founder. The first reliable historical mention of Nadslav itself dates from 1361, when a local priest is recorded — meaning the church must already have existed and served a parish by that time. The windows of the nave and the vault show a distinctly early Gothic character, while the tracery with its spherical motifs points to work continuing into the second half of the 14th century, suggesting construction and finishing stretched across several decades.

What can visitors see on site?

The church's form is modest but clear: a simple single-nave structure without later extensions, typical of the 14th-century rural churches of this region. A wooden bell tower dating from the 19th century stands at the west facade — a considerably younger addition to the much older main body of the church. The stone wall enclosing the cemetery underlines the site's old combination of sacred and defensive function, a common feature of village churches built on elevated ground in this part of Bohemia.

What happened to the stained glass?

One of the most notable threads in the story of Nadslav concerns its stained glass. Eleven fragments of stained glass that originally filled two windows in the church's choir were removed at some point and are now held in the collection of the Regional Museum in Jičín. They rank among the few surviving sets of original medieval stained glass in the region, making them a valuable record of the church's former interior decoration — even though they can no longer be seen in Nadslav itself.

Where exactly is the church located?

The church stands at coordinates 50.422190, 15.261478, set in the open agricultural landscape typical of this part of the Czech Republic, immediately next to the village of Střevač, with which Nadslav historically shared an owner in the person of Zdeněk Straník. It is a small, quiet site, rarely visited in large numbers, but of interest to travelers seeking authentic, little-altered sacred monuments off the main tourist routes.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the church in Nadslav? Its origins go back to around 1340, and the first reliable historical mention of the Nadslav parish dates from 1361.

Who founded the church? The presumed founder is Zdeněk, known as Straník, who owned Střevač and Nadslav in the 14th century.

Is there a cemetery next to the church? Yes, the church is surrounded by a cemetery laid out on an almost circular plan and enclosed by a stone wall.

Where is the church's stained glass today? Eleven fragments of the original choir stained glass are kept in the Regional Museum in Jičín.

Is the church a protected monument? Yes, it has been listed as a cultural monument since 1964.