Church of the Holy Trinity in Hořovice

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Hořovice stands on Palackého náměstí, the town's main square, and ranks among the most distinctive Baroque religious buildings in this part of Bohemia. Its modest, single-nave form hides an unusual founding story and several centuries of changing caretakers.

Who built the church, and why?

The building was commissioned by Count Bernard Ignác Jan Bořita of Martinic, who invited the Theatine order — commonly known as the Cajetans — to Hořovice in 1674. The circumstances behind the project are unusual: a builder named Veltrubský is said to have embezzled a substantial sum of money intended for another purpose. Once the fraud came to light, Count Martinic confiscated the stolen funds and used them instead to finance a monastery for the Theatines. A financial scandal thus became the direct source of funding for a new religious foundation in the town.

When was the church finished and consecrated?

Although construction began in 1674, the interior was only fully equipped and the church consecrated in 1697. By that time, however, the Theatines were no longer in charge — their tenure had already ended in 1684. The consecration therefore took place under Franciscan stewardship, and the Franciscans continued to run the church until 1950.

What does the church look like architecturally?

The building is a single-nave structure on a rectangular ground plan, closed at the presbytery end by a semi-circular apse. A sacristy adjoins the main body of the church. The main facade is topped by a divided gable, a feature typical of Baroque ecclesiastical architecture of the period. The exterior walls are articulated with recessed panel fields and flat pilasters, giving the facade rhythm without heavy ornamentation — a restrained treatment characteristic of more modest 17th-century monastic foundations.

What else belongs to the monument complex?

The church does not stand alone. Together with neighboring structures it forms a coherent Baroque ensemble protected as a single heritage complex. This includes a double-portal Loreto chapel dating from the late 17th century and a Marian plague column erected in 1711. This combination — church, Loreto chapel, and plague column — was a common way of organizing sacred space around a town square in Baroque Bohemia, and in Hořovice it survives in a clearly legible, historic arrangement.

Where exactly is the church located?

The church stands on Palackého náměstí in Hořovice, in the Beroun district, at geographic coordinates 49.836554 N, 13.902894 E.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Church of the Holy Trinity in Hořovice located? On Palackého náměstí, the main square of Hořovice.

Who originally built the church? Count Bernard Ignác Jan Bořita of Martinic, who brought the Theatine order (also known as the Cajetans) to the town in 1674.

Why was the construction funded with confiscated money? Builder Veltrubský embezzled funds meant for another purpose; Count Martinic confiscated the sum and used it to build the monastery instead.

Which order looked after the church the longest? The Franciscans, who took over from the Theatines and remained in charge until 1950.

What else is worth seeing near the church? A late-17th-century Loreto chapel and a Baroque plague column from 1711, both part of the same protected monument complex.