St Michael's Church
St Michael's Church
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
81 reviews
Excellent
50
Very good
26
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
0
InfoPoet
Olomouc98 contributions
St Michael's church is one of Olomouc's many unappreciated architectural sights. Perhaps because the exterior is so plain most travellers skip it altogether and miss out on a spectacular example of a baroque church interior.
Built to replace an earlier church destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, St Michael's sits at the highest point of Olomouc's old town. Right at the top and now in the crypt of the adjoining seminary is the fresh water spring that is connected with the legend of the city's founding by Roman soldiers.
Also in the adjoining seminary are the bell tower and Czech chapel, but the main attractions are in the core of St Michael's itself. The portrait of the pregnant virgin watches over you as you enter, and the larger than life statues of the twelve apostles line the aisle to the main altar.
The three gigantic domes of the ceiling represent the holy trinity; frescoes of the father and the son gaze down from the front and rear domes, and under the central and highest a sculpted silver dove represents the holy ghost.
Halfway along the left hand side of the church is the altar displaying the holy relics of Saint Jan Sarkander and if you look back above the main doors you may be able to see the pipe organ that was moved from Hradisko monastery when it was seized by the Austrian Empire for secular purposes.
Keep an eye out also for the unusual coat of arms with foxes, guns and cannonballs. This is the family crest of a man named Fuchs who was commander of the Olomouc fortress at the time St Michael's was being built. The story goes that the church ran out of funds to complete the highest dome, Fuchs donated a large part of his personal fortune so that it could be finished and was rewarded with a sculpture of his family crest being added to identify him as patron of the highest dome.
St Michael's is open seven days a week from 7am to at least 6pm and admission is free. There is a dress code that requests gentlemen remove their hats and ladies cover their shoulders where possible. Pets, food and behaving in a way that disrupts services are not permitted.
Built to replace an earlier church destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, St Michael's sits at the highest point of Olomouc's old town. Right at the top and now in the crypt of the adjoining seminary is the fresh water spring that is connected with the legend of the city's founding by Roman soldiers.
Also in the adjoining seminary are the bell tower and Czech chapel, but the main attractions are in the core of St Michael's itself. The portrait of the pregnant virgin watches over you as you enter, and the larger than life statues of the twelve apostles line the aisle to the main altar.
The three gigantic domes of the ceiling represent the holy trinity; frescoes of the father and the son gaze down from the front and rear domes, and under the central and highest a sculpted silver dove represents the holy ghost.
Halfway along the left hand side of the church is the altar displaying the holy relics of Saint Jan Sarkander and if you look back above the main doors you may be able to see the pipe organ that was moved from Hradisko monastery when it was seized by the Austrian Empire for secular purposes.
Keep an eye out also for the unusual coat of arms with foxes, guns and cannonballs. This is the family crest of a man named Fuchs who was commander of the Olomouc fortress at the time St Michael's was being built. The story goes that the church ran out of funds to complete the highest dome, Fuchs donated a large part of his personal fortune so that it could be finished and was rewarded with a sculpture of his family crest being added to identify him as patron of the highest dome.
St Michael's is open seven days a week from 7am to at least 6pm and admission is free. There is a dress code that requests gentlemen remove their hats and ladies cover their shoulders where possible. Pets, food and behaving in a way that disrupts services are not permitted.
Written May 13, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnandDee2010
Warrington, UK44 contributions
Sep 2012 • Friends
This church is very ornate. The atmosphere is welcoming! You can visit the bells- very impressive. To cast the last two they appleaded for donnations - the names of this that donated (I was one) are cast into the bell and will be there forever.
Written October 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dawn L
Sammamish, WA295 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
I love the location of this church and it's architecture. From Olomouc's main square walk up Michalska street to the Church, cute little street. Inside the church you can climb to the top near the bell and get a great view of Olomouc. This church with it's 3 domes is a beautiful landmark. It's a Roman Catholic church and one of the most important landmarks of the city. The church, connected originally with the Dominican Order, was constructed in the 13th century and reconstructed to its current Baroque form in 1676-1703 by Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. When you leave the church, go out the front, turn right and right to walk down Univerzitni street to the wall of the city where you can walk down the stairs to the park for a nice walk along the city wall.
Written July 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WilliamB243
Providence RI USA14 contributions
Apr 2012 • Couples
This one has impressive architecture in the church. You can go up to the belfry, with a nice view of the town and 4 large bells. You can go down in the vault (we didn't).
Written April 27, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
545medva
Budapest, Hungary3,898 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
As a barock church it is very impressive. The inner decoration is really very nice as usual in barck churches.
Written March 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas Ozbun
Vicenza, Italy982 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
The Church of Saint Michael; one of the most impressive of the city. It was built during the 17th century in the Baroque style and had an incredible interior.
Written January 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wiensch77
Vienna, Austria351 contributions
Mar 2018 • Friends
Interesting, worth a short visit - very Baroque inside. If you are into this sort of thing go and visit - wonderful organ music if you get there at the right time or attend a service.
Written March 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Imre J
Vienna, Austria194 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
St. Michael’s Church itself is worth a visit. But being here after Christmas offered us a nice surprise: In the cloister on the right was a tremendous wooden manger on display. Lovely!
Written January 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alesius1
Stornoway, UK346 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
Located at virtually the highest point in the old town of Olomouc. It's plain outside but highly ornate inside. Currently (Oct 2017) under renovation, so access was a bit limited.
Written October 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joost N
Groningen, The Netherlands278 contributions
Sep 2017 • Solo
I was here all alone, and it was so peaceful. Than I discovered at the back of the church at the righthandside that you can also go into the cloister. Apparently you can also climb the tower, but have not found this entrance. Perhaps next time :-).
For me the most beautiful church in Olomouc!
For me the most beautiful church in Olomouc!
Written September 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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