The dominant feature of Klatovy, the Jesuit church, is awaiting repairs

Klatovy - In the coming years, the total costs for the complete reconstruction of the Baroque Jesuit church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and Saint Ignatius may rise to as much as one hundred million crowns. Repairs to the building, which is a dominant feature of the Klatovy square, should begin with the reconstruction of the roof and the basement, where the largest Central European catacombs with mummies are located, said Klatovy mayor Rudolf Salvetr to ČTK. The city aims to obtain funds from the EU.
    "The Jesuit church is today the largest building and the most significant monument of Klatovy, and it is also the building that is perhaps the only one in the square that has not been renovated," he stated. The EU could also contribute to repairs and to the expansion and enhancement of the exhibition featuring the mummies. "The Klatovy Catacombs Association, where the city and the parish have equal shares, has applied for a grant for the revitalization of the catacombs," the mayor said.
    According to him, roof repairs are crucial for the salvation of the church, which should cost about ten million crowns, while the restoration and modification of the catacombs will come to more than double that amount. The city and the church also plan to later repair the exterior of the church. "We will proceed in steps. We know that obtaining such an amount all at once is incredibly complicated. We would like to start with the roof and catacombs next year," added the mayor.
    The plan for the reconstruction of the catacombs primarily involves modifying the space to save the precious mummies. Even though they underwent professional intervention a few years ago, heavy traffic, moisture, and temperature fluctuations are harmful to them. The visitor route will also be significantly expanded. It will become more attractive and will offer several rooms with exhibitions dedicated to the catacombs, mummies, scientific care, and Jesuits, in addition to a view of the mummies themselves. In the section dedicated to mummies, there will be a hall devoted to one of them - Agnes Příchovická from Příchovice. The exhibition will also provide explanations about the anthropological study of mummies and the process of mummification and will show the reconstruction of Agnes's appearance.
    The crypts under the Jesuit church were built simultaneously with the church in the second half of the 17th century. By 1783, more than 200 Jesuits, nobles, burghers, and soldiers were buried here. Bodies placed on shavings in oak coffins and lined with hops gradually dried out due to the action of air flowing through a clever ventilation system, weighing eight to ten kilograms. During the church's renovation in the 1930s, after the air shafts were filled, the climate changed, and most of the mummies disintegrated. Today, it is possible to see 30 mummies, with another seven in an inaccessible crypt.