On Barrandov, a new church will be consecrated today

Prague - Today, Cardinal Dominik Duka will bless the new church in the Barrandov housing estate in Prague. Due to the epidemiological situation, today's ceremony will be private, with the church consecration starting at 10:30 and being broadcast on the Noe television website. There will be a smaller screen in front of the church entrance, but due to limited space, the organizers encourage interested parties to rather watch the broadcast from home.

From 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the church will be open for personal prayer, meditation, and tours. It will also be possible to visit and explore the community center.

The local parish had been calling for a new church for decades, with the main impetus for the actual preparations for the construction arising ten years ago due to the insufficient capacity of the parish church in Zlíchov caused by the increase in the number of residents in Barrandov. This parish serves over 30,000 people, and the Church of St. Philip and James in Zlíchov has a capacity of 80 seats.

The minimalist design of the new church was created by architects Jakub Žiška and Pavel Šmelhaus and also includes a community center with a hall, club rooms, and a café. The spaces are intended to serve not only the parish but all residents of Barrandov. Concerts, social events, discussions, lectures, and exhibitions can be held there, and the center features club rooms, a library, and a children's corner. There is also a café with an adjacent playground. The operation will continue from the former Mission Center that used to stand on the same site.

The church has a traditional single-nave layout, a distinctive portal, and a bell tower, with the interior equipped with liturgical elements by sculptors Petr Váňa and Stanislav Kolíbal. During today's ceremony, a relic of St. Ludmila will be placed in the altar. The construction of the church cost 150 million crowns, one-third of which is financed by the Prague Archdiocese, which also purchased the land from Prague 5. Private donors are contributing, and according to Pastor Josef Ptáček, some are investing their life savings into the project.