The Statue of St. Patrick in Karvina

Fryštát is one of the few places in the Czech Republic where there is a tradition of worshiping St. Patrick. Since the mid-18th century, a five-meter sandstone statue of the Irish saint has stood at the Povýšení svatého Kříže (Church of the Holy Cross).

The statue relates to the fact that in the mid-18th century, an Irish Catholic family, the Taafu of Carligford, settled in Fryštát. They had fled from Ireland due to the persecution of Catholics. Since St. Patrick was active in Ireland in the 5th century, he is associated with the local development of Christianity and therefore became the patron saint of the Irish.