Church of St Hedvika

History
Mosty u Jablunkova’s main landmark is this Classicistic church dating from the end of the 18th century. Building work was funded by a local religious association. It is dedicated to St Hedvika, the patron of Silesia.

St Hedvika was chosen due to the church’s location on the border of this historical province; it was originally to be dedicated either to St Fabian and St Sebastian, or to the Holy Trinity.
During the reign of Josef II it was decided that a school, a cemetery, a rectory and a Catholic church would be built in Mosty u Jablunkova. The land was acquired from the estates of Jiří and Jakub Szotkowski. The foundation stone of the church was laid on 10 April 1785, after Easter, and on 15 October 1787 the completed building was consecrated by the Deacon of Těšín, Fr Anton Lön. The first priest to be appointed to the church was Sebastián Ježíšchek.
The roof of the church was originally based on a wooden frame structure. During later reconstruction work, stone vaulting was added and reinforced with steel struts. The church tower and the organ loft were also originally wooden, but were later rebuilt in stone.
Church bells
In 1804 the church had 2 bells: one cast in Těšín in 1792, the other in Opava in 1788. In 1893 the belfry had 4 bells, but by 1921 there was only one. Currently the church has four bells.
One was cast in Russia in 1897, and features an inscription of two lines in Cyrillic script giving the name of the factory in Ordovo. The top of the bell also has an embossed depiction of a figure who is probably Tsar Nicholas; the rim is undecorated. The other three bells were cast in 1968 at the nearby Třinec ironworks.
Organ
The first organ was installed at the church in 1809. In 2002 a collection was started to pay for the restoration of the instrument. During the first two years a total of CZK 700,000 was saved; by the end of the third year the sum had risen to almost CZK 2 million. Money was also donated by local businesses and the municipality. The restoration was carried out by the Varfi company, based in Radim near Krnov, and the organ is now effectively a new instrument. Various types of wood were used, including hornbeam and ebony. The pipes are made of a special alloy containing tin. The organ has an interesting built-in screen which allows organists to monitor what is happening behind them in the church; a camera is installed in the presbytery.
The organ is not only used during religious services; it is also a valuable instrument for teaching and practice.

The Church of St Hedvika – timeline
1785 - foundation stone laid
1787 - Church of St Hedvika consecrated
1791 - reconstruction of roof and stone vaulting begun
1810 - main altar from the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Šance, brought to the church as the side altar
1819 - reconstruction of roof and vaulting completed
1835 - vaulting reinforced with steel struts
1837 - original wooden tower reconstructed in stone and onion dome added
1809 - original wooden columns of organ loft reconstructed in stone
1809 - first organ installed
1903 - new organ installed
2000 - new altar consecrated, including white marble table-piece from Italy
2000 - new copper roof and façade
2002 - collection for organ restoration begun
2006 - reconstruction of organ completed

Priests serving at the Church of St Hedvika in Mosty u Jablunkova
Sebastián Ježíšchek 1785 - 1800
Linus Hradeczny 1800 - 1818
Josef Adamec 1818 – 1843
František Kračzmar 1844 – 1852
Jan Blaski 1852 – 1857
Josef Hrubetz 1857 – 1880
Josef Wrubel 1880 – 1887
Jan Dusch 1887 – 1893
Antonín Matiej 1893 – 1918
Josef Szymeczek 1919 – 1921
Josef Juroš 1921 – 1931
Josef Marzoll 1931 – 1946
Josef Kurowski 1946 – 1965
Alois Ptoszek 1965 – 1971
Fridolín Jaščenko 1971 – 1973
Bruno Stoklasa 1973 – 1986
Josef Bury 1986 – 1988
Jiří Sedláček 1988 – 1994
Štěpán Klocek 1994 - now

Address: Mosty u Jablunkova 110
GPS: 49°31'35.904"N, 18°45'14.402"E
phone: +420 558 367 616
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
web: https://farnost-mostyujablunkova.webnode.cz/