Plečnik's church will have a new altar, designed by Josef Pleskot

Prague - Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord by architect Josip Plečnik, which is one of the landmarks of Prague's Vinohrady, will receive a new altar this year. The parish has approached architect Josef Pleskot, known for his generally accepted interventions in historical environments, for its construction. The altar will replace the one from 1992, which was conceived as a temporary solution even at the time of its creation, said priest Jan Houkal to ČTK. He added that all elements designed by Plečnik will be preserved in the interior.

According to him, the project has received a positive opinion from the National Heritage Institute. "The responses from experts from all sides have so far been only positive," he stated. The parish decided not to hold a selection procedure but contacted only Pleskot. "I am convinced that this choice is the right one considering the value of the space in relation to his abilities," he explained. The parish will present the design in the church with the participation of architects Josef Pleskot and Norbert Schmidt on January 18 at 19:00. The design can also be seen on the web.

One of the most remarkable sacred monuments in Prague was completed in 1932. Plečnik designed the building down to the smallest details using noble materials. It draws from ancient and early Christian architecture. Among other things, it is exceptional for its wide main tower with large clocks, whose diameter of nearly 7.5 meters makes it the largest in the Czech Republic.

The church is a national cultural monument and has been under reconstruction since 2016 in connection with a proposed nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage List. The renovation, costing six million crowns, is primarily financed by the parish with contributions from municipal and state funds. Houkal informed ČTK that the new altar will require additional funds. "This will be an investment from the parish's own resources, without external subsidies; four Sunday collections will be dedicated to this purpose. I hope that additional donations for this purpose will also be collected," he said.

The interior of the church was designed by Plečnik, and after him, his successor Otto Rothmayer took over the work. Above the main altar made of white marble is a three-meter gilded figure of Christ in a symbolic heart, along with statues of six Czech patrons.

After the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, the liturgy in the Catholic Church began to change. Although the council did not directly mandate it, since then, altars have been turned toward the people in the church. In some places, radical priests, especially in the 1970s, even decided to destroy mostly old and historically valuable elements in the presbytery and presented this as a directive from the council.

In Plečnik's church, the altar "facing the people" was created by Tomáš Černoušek in 1992. "It was conceived as a certain temporary solution with the idea that if the place proves liturgically effective, it should later be replaced with a stable altar," Houkal noted. He added that all elements originating from Plečnik will be preserved, as will the entire presbytery, meaning the space around the main altar. The new altar, in the shape of a white hemisphere, will be on a small white platform, allowing for the light passages to the crypt, which are currently covered by a stage, to be uncovered again.