Church of St. Anne

Church of St. Anne in Vižňov

The Baroque Church of Saint Anne is a significant part of the so-called Broumov group of churches, which were built in the 1720s on commission from the Broumov Monastery. It is located in the Vižňov district of Meziměstí, in the center of the village on the site of the former cemetery, where it dominates the surrounding landscape. Since July 1, 2022, the church has been protected as a national cultural monument.

History
The original wooden church in Vižňov is documented as early as the first half of the 14th century. Until the Thirty Years' War, it served as a parish church and later became a filial church of the parish in Vernéřovice. A new masonry church was constructed between 1724 and 1728 at the initiative of Broumov abbot Otmar Daniel Zinke. The architectural design is attributed to Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, while the construction itself was overseen by a master mason from Broumov. The tower was built by Johann Heinrich Opitz from Ruprechtice. The original shingle roof was replaced with slate in 1903 and later, in the 1990s, with sheet metal painted red.

Architecture
The Church of Saint Anne is a non-oriented Baroque structure built from rubble stone, with its main façade facing east. The church has a deeply oval floor plan, with slightly concave side walls and extensions on the shorter sides – the presbytery and sacristy to the west, and the choir loft and prismatic tower to the east. The distinctive hipped roof is composed of a complex system of curved surfaces that follow the wavy layout of the building. The facade is articulated with Baroque profiled cornices and pilaster frames. It combines rough-textured grey plaster with white architectural detailing. The tower is crowned with a Baroque octagonal dome featuring a lantern and an onion-shaped cupola topped with a cross.

Interior
The interior forms an elliptical hall measuring 15 by 24 meters, supported by eight massive pillars adorned with Tuscan pilasters. These support a bold two-part cornice. The ceiling is flat and beamed, with tall rises. The presbytery is smaller, vaulted with a Czech flat dome, and the vault bears a preserved painting of God the Father in the clouds. The main altar features the painting “Saint Anne Teaching Mary” from 1889 by Viennese painter K. Schüller. Another important interior element is the wooden Empire-style pulpit with Corinthian columns and figurative decorations. At the top stands a statue of the penitent Christ. The original Baroque decoration has largely been removed over time, especially after a theft in 1990, and some elements were replaced or stored in a deposit.

Church grounds
The Church of Saint Anne is part of a preserved Baroque complex that also includes a mortuary, a statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, and a stone cemetery wall. The mortuary and wall were likely built at the same time as the church. The statue of Saint John of Nepomuk was relocated from a bridge in Meziměstí and is an example of high-quality stone sculpture. The site is freely accessible but currently in a heavily deteriorated state. The church roof leaks, the plaster is falling off, and no services are held here. Inside, the humidity is visible, moss grows on the floor, and in some areas, large sections of plaster are missing.

Present day
The church in Vižňov is one of the most architecturally interesting buildings of the Broumov church group. However, it is currently in a seriously poor structural condition, requiring complete restoration and protection from further decay. As a national cultural monument, it continues to deserve the attention of both experts and the general public – and above all, the care that matches its historical and cultural significance.