Z-Art 45 Saint Michael The Archangel Church - Řepiště

Model includes 27 numbered parts and difficulty is 3/5.

Řepiště is a village located in the north-eastern part of the Czech Republic, in Frýdek-Místek district, and its current population is about 2000. The history reaches back to 1270. The documents date the foundation of the church to 1484 or 1485. However, during the archaeological research it was found that there were fir beams from 1424 in the church´s walls. This means, the church in Řepiště is the oldest wooden church in the Czech Republic. There were burials even before building the church – a layer of old graves was found under the existing floor. Between 1652 and 1654, the church belonged to the Lutherans. Afterwards, it was given back to the Catholics. The documents state it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas and it was entirely built from wood during those times. On the outside, the church was lined by a roofed gallery called “sobota.” There is a similar, still existing gallery in a nearby village called Sedliště. From 1785, the church belonged to Vratimov denomination. (Vratimov is a nearby town.)

The first grand renovation took place in 1861-1891. During another renovation in 1931-1932 the steeple was repaired. More repairs were made in 1950. In 1995-1996, the interior was repaired and the church got new wall paints and pews. The greatest reconstruction so far was made in 2019-2020. The church was not only repaired, but there was a thorough archaeological research made as well.

The wooden church stands on a stone and brick foundation. The roof, both steeples and side walls are covered with shingles. The roof is slightly folded above the gallery and steeply rises above the main altar, creating three sides of a hexagonal pyramid, referring to the Gothic origin of the church. Later, a triangular gable covered with wooden planks was built. There is a rectangular steeple above the matroneum. This onion-shaped dome is covered with shingles, with a metal cross on top. The arms of the cross are completed with rosettes. The smaller steeple was built in 1865 and it is standing on a hexagonal belfry, with a metal tip and ball on its top. The church has one nave and a three-sided presbytery with square spaces on both sides – a sacristy on the left, an oratory on the right and a gallery with an organ and space for the choir in the back. This gives the church a cross-shape from the aerial view. The floor was made of stone and bricks. During the major reconstruction in 2020, the church got two new bells, a new altar and organ.

You can visit the church during Sunday service time or during an annual cultural event called Open Temples.