Ancestral Villages - Kozlany Church

I think the best way to begin tracking our ancestors is the parish Church of Saint Vavrinec (Lawrence) in Kozlany. People from Hedcany and Kozlany were baptized, married, and buried from here. The original church was built in Gothic style in the 13th century, rebuilt in 1563, and in 1769 in baroque style. The church is now used only once a week. Mass is held by a priest who travels a circuit of several small churches. (Click on the photos to see a larger image.) Here we have our little party with genealogist & interpreter Olga Koliskova. She was uncertain her English would be strong enough, so she brought her daughter, Barbora, whose English is extremely fluent. Both were charming, gracious, well-educated, and with a lot of information for us. From left, the three travelers: me, husband Lloyd, cousin George from California; Olga and Barbora.

The interior of the church is beautifully painted in delicate colors. The main altar is decorated by a baroque painting of Saint Vavrinec.

The side altar exhibits more of the lovely painting.

The baptismal font.

We three travelers with Martin Stekl, a cousin on my father's side of the family. He is headmaster of a private school who just happened to have the week of our visit free--lucky us! He showed us around Plzen and accompanied us on the ancestral tour.

Next entry: Kozlany Museum and two new cousins!