Church of Saint Stephen (Mýto)

The Church of Saint Stephen in Mýto stands on a low hill roughly 0.6 km from the eastern edge of the town, in the Rokycany District of the Plzeň Region. A former cemetery surrounds the building, giving the site a quiet, separated feel away from the town center.

How old is the church?

Mýto was first mentioned in writing in 1296, and the Church of Saint Stephen already stood at that time — making it older than the earliest surviving records of the town itself. Some historians trace its earliest fabric to a Romanesque origin, though the building was thoroughly rebuilt in the Gothic style during the 14th century. It has been altered several more times since, so what visitors see today is a layered mix of building periods rather than a single unified style.

What survives from the Gothic rebuilding?

The 14th-century campaign left behind the presbytery and a northern sacristy covered with a ribbed vault, a hallmark of Gothic masonry workshops. A Gothic entrance portal and a separate sacristy portal have also been preserved. Together these elements let visitors trace the medieval building phase even though the church's overall shape kept evolving in the centuries that followed.

Where does the tower come from, and what does it hold?

The tower has a Baroque character and dates from the 18th century, making it considerably younger than the Gothic core of the church. Inside it hangs a valuable Renaissance bell cast in 1556 by Tomáš Jaroš of Brno, recently restored. A second bell was donated by the priest Jan Ignác Libertin shortly before his death in 1756 and was cast by the bell-founder Zachariáš Dietrich of Prague. Both bells tie the building's history to specific craftsmen and patrons from centuries past.

What lies beneath the church?

An extensive crypt lies under the church. Among those buried there is the priest Jan Ignác Libertin, who served the Mýto parish from 1721 to 1756 and who funded the second tower bell mentioned above. The crypt is a less visible but meaningful part of the site's history, linking the architecture to the lives of specific clergy connected to the parish.

What is the church's finest decorative feature?

The church's most valued interior feature is a set of frescoes from the early 16th century depicting the Last Judgment. These paintings predate the Baroque rebuilding of the tower, dating from a period when the church still stood in its fully Gothic form. Last Judgment scenes were a common theme in sacred art of that era, often used to decorate presbyteries or naves.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Church of Saint Stephen located? On a hill about 0.6 km from the eastern edge of Mýto, in the Rokycany District of the Plzeň Region. The church is surrounded by a former cemetery.

Is the church older than the town of Mýto itself? The church already existed in 1296, the year of the first written record of Mýto, so it is hard to say definitively which came first — but the building is certainly among the oldest surviving structures in the area.

What architectural styles does the building combine? Possible Romanesque origins, a 14th-century Gothic rebuilding (presbytery, sacristy, portals), and an 18th-century Baroque tower — the church layers several periods into one structure.

What is the most valuable movable artifact inside? A Renaissance bell cast in 1556 by Tomáš Jaroš of Brno, housed in the tower and recently restored, alongside a younger 1756 bell made by Zachariáš Dietrich of Prague.