The parishes in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou are missing 12 million for the church renovation

Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou – The parish in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou in the Třebíč area needs an additional 12 million crowns to cover the costs of the extensive repair of the Church of St. Marketa. Likely at the end of September, they will launch a donation portal where they will offer artifacts from the restored baroque monument, including nails, pieces of the original beams, or plaster that would otherwise end up as construction waste. This was stated by the priest Tomáš Holcner.

"These are things that can no longer be used and would end up in a landfill, but they have been saved for this purpose. If someone wants to give us a thousand crowns, they won’t just leave with a good feeling; we want to give them something from the church as a keepsake. That is the main idea,” said Holcner.

The repair of the church itself, which started last autumn, will cost 107 million crowns. Together with the project, archaeological research, and securing technical supervision and other activities, the costs have reached 113 million crowns. The parish will be able to use almost 95 million crowns from grants; the remainder must be funded from its own resources. So far, they have managed to secure six million crowns and need another 12 million.

The repairs are expected to last until 2022. Over the summer holidays, work was done on the facades. "However, the essential work was done by the carpenters who replaced damaged beams that support the lantern; that is almost finished. Restoration work on the interior is also progressing quite rapidly," said Holcner.

The Church of St. Marketa is a national cultural monument. It is one of the first baroque churches in Moravia. It features an extensive fresco above the main nave, which is over 20 meters long and 44 meters high including the lantern. It was created by Karel František Tepper. The church, which was commissioned by Jakub Prandtauer, was consecrated in 1738. After the repair, the church, currently red and white, will have its original ochre color, which the adjoining castle had returned to years ago. The renovation also includes the restoration of the southern terrace.