Church of Saint Vitus in Kojetice

The Church of Saint Vitus in Kojetice stands on the village green on Moravcova street, in the Central Bohemian municipality of Kojetice near Neratovice, in the Mělník district. It is a Roman Catholic church that blends Gothic and Baroque building phases and ranks as the oldest and most significant historic monument in the village.

How old is the church in Kojetice?

The building's origins go back to the mid-13th century. Local tradition credits a dean of the St. Vitus chapter in Prague, a man named Vít, with commissioning a stone church with a tower in Kojetice, completed in 1260. The first written record of the Kojetice church itself, however, dates only to 1271 — this is the earliest documented reference for the parish, even though the 1260 building tradition points to an even older place of worship on the site.

How did the church's architecture change over time?

The original Romanesque-Gothic structure was expanded in later centuries. In the 14th century the tower was raised and a Gothic presbytery was added, giving the building the taller, more vertical profile typical of Gothic architecture. A further major rebuild followed after 1666, when the church acquired Baroque-style additions, including a new sacristy. As a result, today's structure carries visible traces of several building periods layered on top of one another, from its medieval core to its Baroque additions.

What is worth seeing inside?

The interior's focal point is the main altar from 1667, decorated with valuable paintings by the Prague painter Antonín Stevens. Several Gothic-period elements of the liturgical furnishings have survived: a sanctuary niche for the Blessed Sacrament, a pastophorium, and sedilia in the presbytery — stone seats used by clergy during the liturgy. Of particular value is an almost complete set of 14th-century fresco decoration; part of this painting has only been uncovered and restored to view in recent years, making the church's interior a site still being rediscovered by conservators.

Where exactly is the church located?

The church stands centrally on the village green (náves) in Kojetice, on Moravcova street. Kojetice lies in Central Bohemia, near Neratovice, within the Mělník district. Its geographic coordinates are 50.2376186 N, 14.5091922 E.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the Church of Saint Vitus in Kojetice? Tradition dates the stone church with a tower to 1260, while the first written mention of the Kojetice church dates from 1271.

What architectural style does the church represent? It combines Gothic elements — the raised tower and 14th-century presbytery — with later Baroque rebuilding carried out after 1666.

What is on the main altar? The main altar dates from 1667 and is decorated with paintings by the Prague painter Antonín Stevens.

Have any medieval wall paintings survived? Yes — an almost complete set of 14th-century frescoes, part of which has only been uncovered in recent years.

Where exactly does the church stand? On the village green in Kojetice, on Moravcova street, in the Mělník district of Central Bohemia.