Bozkov: Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

Bozkov’s Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary dates back to 1693 and was built at the instigation of Countess Marie Polyxena Desfours, at that time the owner of the estate. The foundation stone was laid and consecrated on the founder’s name day, September 23, 1690, a ceremony attended by the Countess and “many esteemed lords and ladies”. A church originally stood on the same spot back in the 14th century, and we know the name of one of its first curators – Ado. In the mid-16th century, when the estate belonged to the Smiřický family, a wooden half-timbered church with a walk-through tower on the west side and two bells was built 20 metres to the south of it. When the village was occupied by the Swedes in 1639, they turned the church into a barracks, burnt the statues and pews, and charged the village a fee for doing so. The altar statue of the Virgin Mary, hidden at Hrubý Rohozec Chateau, fortunately survived and was returned with great ceremony in 1663. It became a destination for some famous pilgrimages, which prompted Countess Desfours to start work on building a new, far grander church. Some seven thousand pilgrims used to come here to see the Virgin Mary of Bozkov.

The church is fairly austere on the outside, but its interior is lavishly decorated compared to most other rural churches. The altars, made in 1757, are the work of Josef Jelínek of Kosmonosy. Until 1790 the church nave was covered by a coffered ceiling, and then vaulted and painted during the era of priest Václav Dušek. The oratory has a coffered ceiling from 1693 with floral ornamentation. It houses a small church museum. The church tower is 49 metres high and contains three bells, the oldest of which dates from 1555 and is decorated with a relief of the Bozkov Madonna. The viewing walkway around the church has been refurbished and is now open to the public.