Church of St. Paul in Vítkovice

The church, which stands in the square in Vítkovice, fits exactly into the colour of the whole historical core of Vítkovice, i.e. the Ostrava city district. Like the surrounding buildings, St. Paul's Church is built entirely of red brick.

The original plan envisaged a classical solution, i.e. two towers above the entrance to the church. In the end, only one tower was built to resemble a bell tower from the Tuscany region of Italy. The tower was built before the church. It served as a water tower and an observation tower for the fire department. It was not until three years later that the church was built and the two structures were connected by a small passageway.

Three steel bells made in the local ironworks sound in the tower. The altar contains part of the relics of St. John Sarkander and the church also contains a painting of Marie Antonína Kratochvílová, a native of Vítkovice who was beatified by Pope John Paul II at the end of the twentieth century. Sister Marie Antonína was martyred by the Gestapo while serving as superior of a community of nuns in Ukraine.

St. Paul’s Church is part of the increasingly visited Vítkovice Urban Reserve, which is the gateway to the Dolní Vítkovice area.