Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk

The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk crowns Zelená Hora hill on the edge of Žďár nad Sázavou, in the Vysočina region of the Czech-Moravian Highlands. Few churches in Central Europe pack as much symbolic geometry into stone as this one — a building where Gothic verticality and Baroque movement fuse into a single, star-shaped design. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1994 (criteria I, II, IV), recognizing it as a masterwork of architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel.

When was the church built, and by whom?

Construction began in 1719, the same period in which a preserved tongue was reportedly discovered in the tomb of Blessed John of Nepomuk at St Vitus Cathedral in Prague — a find that fueled momentum toward his canonization. The church was consecrated in 1722. Its author, Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel (1677–1723), was a Czech architect of Italian descent known for a highly personal idiom now called "Baroque Gothic," deliberately fusing pointed Gothic elements with Baroque spatial drama rather than choosing between the two styles.

Why does the floor plan look like a star?

According to legend, when John of Nepomuk's body was thrown into the Vltava River, five stars appeared above the water where he drowned. Santini turned that number into the organizing principle of the entire building: the church's floor plan forms a five-pointed star, and its interior proportions are built around multiples of five. Five triangular chapels alternate with five oval chapels around the central space — a level of numerological discipline rarely seen in Baroque sacred architecture.

What should visitors look for inside and outside?

Above the main altar, the dome is dominated by a large red tongue — the saint's attribute — ringed by flames with rays shooting outward, a direct visual reference to the star legend. The church is encircled by a covered cloister (ambit) punctuated by five gates and corner chapels, with an adjoining cemetery completing the pilgrimage complex. Seen from outside, the building's silhouette mixes slender, Gothic-inspired pinnacles with the undulating lines of Baroque façades — the signature combination that makes Santini's work instantly recognizable among his contemporaries.

Why is the site on the UNESCO World Heritage List?

The World Heritage Committee inscribed the sanctuary in 1994, citing it as an outstanding example of architecture that merges Gothic and Baroque elements in a way found nowhere else in Europe, built with rare symbolic and compositional coherence. The listing covers criterion I (a work of creative genius), criterion II (influence on the development of architecture), and criterion IV (an outstanding example of a building type).

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? On Zelená Hora hill, on the outskirts of Žďár nad Sázavou, in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.

Who designed the church? Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, a Czech architect working in the Baroque Gothic style, also responsible for several other notable sacred buildings in Moravia and Bohemia.

Why is the building star-shaped? It refers to the legend of five stars that appeared over the spot in the Vltava River where St John of Nepomuk drowned.

When was the church added to the UNESCO list? In 1994, under criteria I, II, and IV.