Church of St. John the Baptist

The church, located in the place of the original Gothic hospital church, was founded, together with the Piarist College, by František of Dietrichstein in 1631. The construction of the church was documented four years later, and was probably based on a project by Architect Andreas Erna. The construction, however, was protracting, in 1666 the church is said to have been pulled down, and only completed in 1672, and consecrated seven years later. Minor reconstructions, decorations with sculptures and completion of the tower were still carried out till the end of 1680s. At the beginning of the following century the windows in the whole church were adapted and the side funeral chapel was built. In the years 1757-1760 the interior underwent substantial changes. In 1784 the church was made parish administrative centre of the Mikulov suburbs.

The most valuable work of art in St. John the Babtist ´s Church is the wall paintings by Franz Anton Maulbertsch, the greatest figure of 18th century Viennese painting. The paintings were made in spring 1759. The walls are covered with illusive architectural elements with plant motives. The vault is decorated with scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist, beginning with the saint ´s birth (by the entrance to the church) and ending with his decapitation (above the choir). The centre of the painting is the central oval field with a fresco showing the Triumph of the Holy Trinity celebrating deeds of Jesus Christ ´s predecessor St John the Baptist. The interior equipment of the church comes from the same period, including the high altar and the side altars from the studio of sculptor Wolfgang Träger.