The Plečnik Church in Vinohrady is restoring its facade

photo: Ester Havlová

Prague – The parish near the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord in Jiří z Poděbrad Square has commenced a major renovation of the facade of this significant building and monument. The repairs, costing nearly 15 million crowns, are divided into several phases and are expected to be completed by 2022 at the latest. The parish announced this on its website.

The general renovation of the church's exterior and its facilities follows the repair of the bell tower, which took place over the past two years. Currently, masonry, plastering, plumbing, and stonework are being carried out on the entire exterior of the church. The building is a national cultural monument, and all work is done under constant heritage supervision.

According to Pastor Jan Houkal, the reason for the repairs is the deplorable state of the church's exterior; it has not been repaired to such an extent since the construction of the building. Although it is not in an emergency state, the goal is to prevent deterioration of the church, or rather of some of its parts over time, the parish pointed out.

In the tender process, the parish selected the company Vlčí stavby as the contractor, which submitted the lowest price offer. The total price is 14.85 million crowns, including VAT. The parish has applied for contributions from the Ministry of Culture, the Prague City Hall, and the Prague 3 Municipal Department, yet a large part of the costs falls on the parish itself, it is stated.

In 2019, three phases will take place, costing a total of seven million crowns. The repair began with the western facade, and this year at least the southern and eastern sides of the main nave and sacristy are planned to be addressed. The parish received 2.3 million crowns from the city hall for the renovation of the southern facade, 700,000 crowns from the ministry for the eastern facade renovation, and 165,000 crowns from Prague 3. The parish's share this year amounts to four million crowns.

In addition, the parish wants to repair doors and windows; their costs were deliberately excluded from the project due to their specificity and will be assessed later. Alongside the general renovation, some parts of the tower's interior are also being repaired this year, and efforts will continue to clean and make minor repairs to the side altars. Therefore, the parish welcomes contributions from believers, and people can find options for how to contribute on the website.

Plečnik's building is one of the most prominent landmarks of Vinohrady. The architect, who worked for President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and was behind the reconstruction of Prague Castle, developed the design of the church and its interior down to the finest details. The building was completed in 1932. At the end of last year, the church received a new altar made of white Carrara marble. Its installation was the most significant alteration to the church's interior since the construction of the building. The parish paid for the altar from its own resources.