Church of the Annunciation

The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Brno's Tuřany district ranks among the oldest Marian pilgrimage sites in Moravia, its story reaching back nearly a thousand years before the building visitors see today was ever raised.

What is the story behind this church?

Local tradition traces the cult here to the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who are said to have carried a small statue of the Virgin Mary into Moravia. According to legend, a farmer named Horák rediscovered that statue around the year 1050, caught in a thornbush. The site quickly grew into a pilgrimage destination, and a parish in Tuřany is documented as early as the 13th century, with the first church building on record between 1318 and 1326.

A turning point came in 1693, when Jesuits started building a chapel dedicated to Saint Anne, designed by Jan Křtitel Erna. That chapel became the seed of today's structure: between 1804 and 1806 it was enlarged into a full Baroque church. The old medieval building was torn down in 1810, and its Marian dedication passed to the new one. The church reached its present appearance between 1888 and 1891, when an unusual Baroque double-tower facade was added, the two towers linked to the main body of the church by an open colonnaded gallery.

What should you look for inside?

The centerpiece is a wooden carving of the Madonna displayed on the main altar, dating back to the original medieval church that stood here before the 14th century. Tradition holds that this is the very statue rediscovered in the thornbush, making it a direct link between the present-day parish and its pilgrimage origins. Outside, the twin-tower silhouette joined by an open arcade sets the church apart from typical Moravian Baroque parish buildings and makes it an easy landmark to spot across Tuřany.

How do you get there?

The church stands on the eastern side of Hanácká street, right in the center of Tuřany, on Tuřanské náměstí (Tuřany Square). Tuřany itself sits in the eastern part of Brno, next to Brno-Tuřany Airport, so the church is reachable both by city public transport from the centre and by car for anyone arriving from the motorway side of town.

When is the best time to visit?

Because the church remains an active Roman Catholic parish, it is worth checking Mass times before planning a visit. Weekdays outside service hours tend to offer a quieter look at the architecture and the surrounding square.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit the church every day? As a working parish church, access to the interior depends on opening hours and the Mass schedule set by the Tuřany parish.

Where does the legend of the Madonna statue come from? Tradition credits Saints Cyril and Methodius with bringing the statue to Moravia, and a farmer named Horák with rediscovering it in a thornbush around 1050.

What is the most distinctive architectural feature? The double-tower facade added between 1888 and 1891, unusual for a Moravian Baroque church, linked to the main building by an open colonnaded gallery.

Is today's church the same building as the medieval one? No - the original medieval church was demolished in 1810, and its Marian dedication was transferred to the Baroque church, which had been enlarged between 1804 and 1806 from an earlier 1693 chapel of Saint Anne.