After two years, the renovation of the pilgrimage site in Horní Police is coming to an end

Horní Police - After two years, a large reconstruction of the pilgrimage site in Horní Police in the Českolipsko region is nearing completion, costing approximately 114 million crowns. It seems that it will be finished by the end of April, said the parish administrator Stanislav Přibyl to ČTK. The grand opening of the area, which is a national cultural monument, is planned for June 27.

The pilgrimage site was established on the site of a Gothic church burned down by the Hussites. According to legend, in 1523, a statue of the Virgin Mary was found on the banks of the Ploučnice River; devout hands pulled it from the water and donated it to the local chapel. The site was in a state of disrepair, and the church managed to obtain an EU grant for its restoration. The three-nave church especially needed major repairs. Work was also done on the belfry, the towerlets returned to the ambulatory, and the courtyard was also renovated. "The last extensive repair was in 1861," Přibyl stated. He considers the work on the church’s structure to be the most important. "Because the trusses were in such a condition that the carpenters told us, one winter and the roof would collapse," Přibyl noted.

The church will also have a new facade, windows, and doors. Work is still ongoing inside. "Restorers are finishing up; the altar, two side altars, and the pulpit have been restored," said Přibyl. According to him, they also managed to reveal the original colors of some interior parts. "Especially noteworthy is the main altar, where a combination of silver and gold was found. Previously it was brown; we were surprised ourselves. This is something that will look wonderful," said the parish administrator. Wall and ceiling paintings, as well as stonemasonry and carpentry elements, have also been restored. The church's organ has also been repaired. It is an instrument from 1712 that was expanded in the mid-19th century. Its sound has returned to the Baroque period, and the tuning of the instrument will be in the so-called Gallic tone, which is about half a tone lower than what is commonly used today.

During the repairs, there was not enough time for the ten side altars or the old pews in the church. "We would need 30 million more for a complete restoration," stated Přibyl. However, according to him, these are parts that can still serve well for several more years. On the other hand, all the towers in the area have been restored, and those that were missing from the ambulatory have also returned. "Three of them were already gone; they were rebuilt. And two were in such a state that they were essentially replaced with new ones," said Přibyl.

Work on the belfry is nearly finished as well. Inside, there are already replicas of three bells made in the Netherlands, weighing 260, 520, and 950 kilograms. "It will be possible to ring the bell manually with a rope or remotely with electric drive," said Přibyl. On Thursday, bell-ringer Petr Rudolf Manoušek and one assistant were hanging the bells in the belfry using a manual hoist.