Church of St. Simon and St. Jude – Lipová

Historical Description of the Building

The first mention of the church dates back to the second half of the 15th century. At that time, the parish in Lipová was still under the ecclesiastical administration of the Bautzen deanery. Today’s church of Saints Simon and Jude was built in 1691-1695 by Marie Margareta, Countess of Trautson. Marie Margareta’s coat of arms can be found on the main facade of the building, along with the coat of arms of her husband Jan Jiří, Count Slavata of Chlum and Košumberk. The construction was led by master mason Balthasar Hille. Although the church was not completely completed until 1695, the first liturgical services took place in it two years earlier. The prismatic tower attached to the eastern side of the presbytery was added in 1781. The main altar, two side altars and the pulpit were designed in 1839 by the Dresden court sculptor Franz Johann Pettrich. He himself created the statue of the Crucified Christ with praying angels together with his pupil Christoph Neuhäuser. On the north side of the presbytery is the original main altarpiece with a painting of Saints Simon and Jude.

Points of interest:

The tops of the two wooden entrance gates to the back altar are decorated with unusual carved reliquaries. The character of the church is completed by the atypical wooden galleries (elevated balconies) forming a three-sided choir for musicians.

Intangible cultural heritage:

The future opera composer and Wagner’s friend Heinrich August Marschner (1795-1861) occasionally sang in the church’s auxiliary choir as a child. The Marschners belonged to a prominent musical family on the local Salmow estate.
Antonín Ludvík Frind (1823–1881), the Bishop of Litoměřice, educator, and writer, was born in this village. Before 1945, there was an association of Easter riders here.

Services: Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
Contact: Administrator Rev. Pavel Procházka; Roman Catholic Parish and Archdeaconry of Šluknov

www.thetris.eu

This tourist destination was published as part of the project:
THETRIS – THEmatic Transnational Church Route Development with the Involvement of Local Society