Renovation of the chapel of St. Ludmila and Martha in Přední Kopanina

The chapel of St. Ludmila and Martha was built by the Jesuits, who owned Přední Kopanina at that time, against the perimeter wall of the local farm courtyard in 1712. In 1867, the chapel became a morgue, and since 1971 it has served as a columbarium. After the construction of a new columbarium, it remained unused until it was decided to conduct a comprehensive renovation and establish a museum in Přední Kopanina. This generous project was funded by a contribution from Prague Airport and a grant from the City of Prague.
Before the project and construction work, a detailed comprehensive survey was conducted, consisting of archaeological, construction-historical, mycological surveys, and other associated investigative work.
The subsequent project can be roughly divided into two issues: the actual reconstruction and the design of the museum exhibition. Thanks to the cooperative approach of Mayor Milan Hofman and Secretary Petr Vokáč, the design and subsequent construction activities were carried out in mutual collaboration, similarly to the work with the contracting companies.
The condition of the roof covering was beyond its lifespan, and therefore it was replaced with a new one that matched the historical appearance of the chapel. On the other hand, the truss showed no signs of damage according to both visual and mycological surveys and was understandably preserved.
Since the probes discovered that the last renovation completely removed the older facade and replaced it with a modern one, applied on a metal mesh, it was proposed to remove all exterior plaster from the 1940s, except for the pilasters. Moreover, this was a completely inappropriate modification from the standpoint of material, tectonics, and execution.
The new fields are recessed and framed by pilasters, which more accurately correspond to baroque tectonics as opposed to the previous state, where the fields unaccountably protruded. The authors consulted the coloration with several experts, and the decision was made to use a combination of lighter pilasters with darker fields. The restoration company of Oldřich and Tomáš Hejtmánek used mineral paints that suited the historical architecture.
The absolutely unfit windows and doors were replaced with new elements, evoking a possible baroque state, which, however, could not be determined more precisely due to the absence of older iconographic sources.
In the interior, original baroque plastering was preserved from a height of about 0.9 m to 1.5 m; however, in the lower areas, which were long-term damaged by moisture, the original condition was not preserved, and new plasters were applied. Due to earlier attacks from wood-damaging insects and fungi, and the resulting technical condition, the ceiling had to be replaced with a new one.
The most significant undertaking in terms of reconstruction was the removal of the walled-up niches found during the survey and their restoration, including framing.
The restoration team returned the original toast tiles to the interior and indicated the position of the altar with a slightly elevated stone base where the mensa used to stand.
The museum itself was designed by the authors as a combination of a text section with displayed exhibits. Due to the smaller space of the chapel, the texts are suspended on very elegant rotating hangers attached to the wall, minimally disturbing the interior itself. These four banners are complemented by a display case with artifacts illustrating the development of Přední Kopanina from prehistory to modern times. The concept and content of the museum were developed by Vojtěch Kašpar from the Archaia company, who also coordinated the prior surveys.
As the text implies, the authors chose a synthetic approach to monument restoration, aiming to evoke the baroque state as faithfully as possible, whose exact form was not always specifically documented but could be reconstructed from the surveys conducted. The entire restoration was carried out in cooperation with all the components of heritage preservation and with the Czech National Committee of ICOMOS. Such an approach is necessary not only when reconstructing Romanesque, Gothic, or baroque architecture but also when reconstructing a Secessionist villa.
It was precisely the collaboration of the architect, or the expert team, with the investor, the contractor, and the heritage authorities that contributed to the result of the reconstruction, which not only rehabilitated the baroque appearance of the chapel but also found new and meaningful use for it.