Discovering the Tiny Chapel, Majestic Church, and Other ‘Moving’ Structures!
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene was the first “brick” building to be moved
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene is known for being the first “big” structure to be relocated, but it’s actually a small religious building by the Vltava River, located below Letenské sady in Prague. This oval-shaped chapel was constructed in 1635 next to the monastery vineyard of the Order of the Crusaders with a red heart emblem. The chapel has a unique style and is often described as both late Renaissance and early Baroque. People have enjoyed visiting it over the years. After the Josephine reforms, its purpose changed, and it became a storage space for wood and coal as well as a home for pets like pigeons and a sheep pen for the owner’s valued creatures. Since 1908, it has been looked after by the Old Catholic Church. Unfortunately, it’s not open very often, mainly during events like the Night of the Churches or at Christmas time, when an Arabic nativity scene is put on display.
In the mid-20th century, the chapel was in danger due to plans to redevelop the waterfront and construct a tram line, which would have led to its demolition. Some memorials recount that it used to offer a stunning view of the Stalin monument at Letná. Regardless, a well-known structural engineer named Stanislav Bechyně played a crucial role in saving it, as he devised a clever method to move the chapel 31 meters upstream along the Vltava River. The chapel was placed on a new foundation wreath and secured with steel hoops, and wooden beams reinforced the inside. On February 4, 1956, it successfully traveled along the tracks to its new spot in front of the Čech Bridge. Its new location suits it well, and the first-ever relocation of a large brick building in the Czech lands can still be appreciated through its beautiful stained glass windows.
Wooden migratory churches
It’s important to understand that when we talk about “brick buildings,” we should also recognize that the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene had earlier versions, namely wooden churches that were brought to the Czech Republic from Subcarpathian Russia. One example is the church of St. Michael the Archangel located in the Kinsky Garden in the Petřín area, which tragically burned down on October 28, 2020. This church arrived in Prague in 1929 from Medvedovci near Mukachevo.
Another noteworthy example is the church of All Saints from the village Velká Kopaňa near Chust. When the villagers built a new stone church, the old wooden one started to deteriorate. It was saved from destruction by Senator Václav Klofáč, who found it during his trip to Subcarpathian Rus in 1927. Dobříkovo near Chocně saw the relocation of a carefully disassembled wooden church of St. Paraskevi, which originally stood in a village, to Blansko by train in 1936. Other examples include the churches of St. Procopius and St. Barbara from Nižné Seliště near Chust, and the church of the Lord’s Transfiguration and St. Nicholas in Nová Paka, which was originally dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God and has also moved several times.
Finally, we should mention the Church of St. Nicholas in Hradec Králové. Although it originated from eastern Slovakia’s Habura rather than Subcarpathian Rus, a replica was constructed there a few years ago. Between 2016 and 2019, this church underwent a significant restoration, receiving modern cladding, state-of-the-art fire safety systems, and restoring its rich furnishings and beautiful murals.
The most famous move took place in Most
When discussing the relocation of large structures, we can’t overlook the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which was moved to make way for a new bridge. The complicated process began in September 1975 when the precious 16th-century Gothic church, weighing 10,000 tonnes, was “loaded” onto 53 specially constructed chassis at the Škodovka factory in Plzeň. The church, which is over 60 meters long and 30 meters tall, was actually shifted on September 30, taking a full 27 days to reach its new location climbing along an impressive 841-meter long route. The whole moving operation lasted a total of 646 hours. After November 1989, the church was rededicated, and its original altar was restored to the interior. Many of the visitors today are the original inhabitants of Most, a town that had to sacrifice its land for coal mining. They can stop by the permanent photo exhibition in the church’s observation tower, which features photographs of the original Most and its demolition, documents detailing the relocation of the church, and striking images capturing the landscape changes following this event, including new bridges and restored surroundings. In 2023, a unique monument, a piece of rail construction (track bed), was added near the church. This serves to remind visitors of the original location of the church and the direction it moved in.
Moving the Chapel of St. Sebastian in Uherské Hradiště
The Baroque-style Chapel of St. Sebastian currently finds its home on Palacký Square. However, it was originally constructed in 1715 by soldiers of a fortress built in a different location, near one of the roads leading to the city center. In 1968, as new city development plans were drawn up, the chapel had to be relocated 9 meters. Unlike other buildings, the chapel wasn’t set back down on its original foundation; the decision to move it was made due to adjustments being made to the local road. Using a special technique patented in Czechoslovakia by Dr. Wünsch and Ing. Šulák, the chapel was cut from its foundation, lifted hydraulically, rolled less than ten meters southeast, and then placed onto new foundations on elevated ground.
