Church of the Holy Spirit in Opava

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Opava is shrouded in mystery, which is still waiting to be revealed. A team of archaeologists is trying to investigate what the crypt under the floor of the church from the Gothic era hides.

According to legends, representatives of one part of the Přemyslid family rest here. The archaeologists’ first investigation reveals that there is indeed a burial ground beneath the floor. Only further excavations will show whether these are important townsmen or really the continuation of the Přemyslid family, perhaps even the grandson of Přemysl Otakar II.

The Church of the Holy Spirit is also the place that is associated with the second visit of the brilliant composer Ludwig van Beethoven to the Opava region. At the beginning of the 19th century, Beethoven attended a concert of his Mass in C major, which took place in this very church. Although Beethoven was only one of the listeners and even suffered from hearing loss at the time, he could not stand the way the conductor presented his work, jumped out of his chair and conducted the concert himself.