Church of St Valentine, Příbor [ Church or cathedral ]
In 1596, a wooden church was built thanks to the care by Dorota Bremlova and her son Valentine, which was dedicated to St Valentine. In 1626, when the town of Příbor was burnt down by the troops of Mansfeld invading the town, the Church of St Valentine was burnt down as well. Later, the church was built again; it was of wood again. By the decision of Bishop Charles II of Liechtenstein of February 5th, 1694, a Piarist college including a grammar schol was founded in Příbor. The Church of St Valentine was donated to the Piarists by the town. The building of the Piarist college and grammar school was completed in 1700. In 1760-66, the church was rebuilt to the present, baroque appearance. The construction was managed by the chancellor of the local Piarist college P. Heliodor Knauer, a native of Příbor. In 1785, the church was hit by another fire. The church dome and roof were destroyed. There was a Piarist cemetery around the church. On the main altar of the church, there is a silver-coated relief depicting a scene of the St Valentine's life. According to V. Pokorný, the relief dates from the period about 1596 - the age of the original church. Below the relief, there is an altar painting of Christ healing two blind men. It is a work created by Ignác Raab, a well-known painter of temple paintings. On both sides of the church nave, there are three altars with paintings. On the left side, paintings of St Anthony and Crucifixtion by Ignác Raab are situated; between these paintings, an altar with a painting of St Joseph, the Lord's foster father, by F. I. Leicher is situated. The opposite painting, by the same author, depicts St Joseph Calasanctius, the founder of the Piarist Order. In addition, Emperor Joseph II, as a boy, is reputedly depicted in the painting. The remaining two paintings depict St John of Nepomuk and the Virgin Mary. The pews, which are decorated with an ornament in rococo style, and pulpit date from the middle of the 18th century.
The church is a first-class historic building and has been registered in the List of the Historic Buildings and Monuments of the Czech Republic under No. 1664. During the last 50 years, the church has suffered a lot from the vibrations caused by heavy traffic. Many cracks have occurred in its side walls and vault. After survey works had been performed, an overall restoration of this building of great importance was carried out in 1995-96.
The church was ceremonially reopened on October 20th, 1996 - on the day of the 400th anniversary of its erection.
