CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN POSÁZAVÍ

The church dominates the village of Chotýšany.  Its beginnings are recorded in the vicarage chronicle and date back to1315. The shrine is built in an originally Roman style, but the style of the building is affected by the transition of the style and therefore with prevailing Gothic style features.

The church is the oldest building in the town and was built in place of a small wooden church consecrated to Sv. Mikuláš in the first half of the 13^th century. From the 13^th  century, the church was complemented by a vicarage and Oldřich of Sulzbach was the first priest there.

The baroque church completed in 1715 has a ground plan in the shape of a Greek cross. It was designed by the famous Italian architect Giovanni Batista Alliprandi. The church is connected to the Piarist Campus, which has a central inner yard with a sundial and water well. The original campus consisted of classrooms, a large library, a dining room and rooms to accommodate the students. The Piarists, famous for spreading science and culture, brought the secondary education to Benešov from Italy.

The original early-gothic temple from the 13th century is located in the place where once used to be the oldest settlement of Benešov. At the same time it is the oldest preserved building in Benešov. After the fires in 1420 and 1648 it was refurbished in the style of late gothic and later into baroque style. The statues of Matyas Bernard Braun and even the wall paintings by Ignác Viktorin Raab have been preserved there. The separate Upper Belfry Tower is situated in front of the church entrance. It includes several bells from the 15th and 16th century. The tower got its current appearance, including the clock, after the repairs in 1828.

The original church as well as all historical buildings and sights preserved from older days were destroyed in 1742 when almost all the small town, including the church, burnt down. Official record books and the church registry books were also destroyed.