Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Opava

Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Konkatedrála Nanebevzetí Panny Marie; also called Our Lady of the Assumption Co-Cathedral or simply Opava Cathedral for a short) is a Gothic church in the historic city centre of Opava in the Czech Republic.

History
Its construction is believed to start during the reign of the Bohemian King Ottokar I (1198–1230). The cathedral is built of red bricks, having three naves and two towers. It is built in the fourteenth century Gothic style. Its southern tower is 102 metres tall (a few metres taller than Prague Castle Tower) and remains to be the tallest church tower in Silesia.

Establishing the Church of the Assumption in Opava is associated with the Teutonic Knights. The construction of the church probably began shortly after 1204. Details about earlier Romanesque church at this place are not well known. But the letter from King Wenceslaus I of 12 May 1237 already mentions the rectory in Opava. Construction of the church stopped after the death of Ottokar II. It has resumed again after the return of his illegitimate son Nicholas I. Over the time, the church undergone some additional Baroque and neo-Gothic modifications, suffered from fires in 1689 and 1759 and survived the heavy shelling from the Red Army during the World War II. Until today, the church remains to be one of the largest buildings in Opava and one of spectacular dominants of the city. Since 1996, it is the second seat of the bishop of Ostrava-Opava (hence "Co-cathedral"). It serves as a catholic church until this very day.

In 1995, the building was declared a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic.