The construction of the new church in Gutech cost 33 million CZK

Třinec – The construction of the replica of the burned wooden church of the Body of Christ in the Třinec part of Guty cost 33 million crowns. The costs for the restoration of the monument destroyed by an intentionally set fire were covered by an insurance company and proceeds from a public collection. It was announced by the Třinec town hall, and nearly four million crowns were collected in the account. CTK was informed of this by Pavel Siuda, spokesman for the Ostrava-Opava Diocese. The first divine service took place in the church yesterday. The Apostolic Administrator of the Ostrava-Opava Diocese, Martin David, blessed the organ, the bells, and consecrated the entire structure during this service. A festive Te Deum was also performed.

"The wood for the shingle roofing, worth 800,000 crowns, was donated by the Ostrava-Opava Diocese, while the city of Ostrava contributed 300,000 crowns for the acquisition of three new bells. The city of Třinec organized a public collection for the restoration of the building and provided free space for the storage of the remains of the church," Siuda listed the assistance provided by other institutions during the restoration.

The church was rebuilt as a faithful replica of the original structure from the first half of the 16th century using traditional craftsmanship methods. "The construction used 450 cubic meters of fir wood, 150 cubic meters of spruce wood for the wooden shingles, and more than ten cubic meters of oak wood," stated Václav Kotásek, head of the construction department of the diocese, who coordinated the restoration of the church.

The centuries-old monument was completely destroyed by an intentionally set fire on the night of August 1 to 2, 2017. Immediately after the fire, according to Kotásek, it was necessary to secure the required project documentation. Based on the experiences from the restoration of the burned church of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Ostrava-Hrabová, the diocese approached architect Antonín Závada from Valašské Meziříčí. He, together with his son, developed the restoration project for the church. The construction was then entrusted to the Papšík carpentry from Hošťálková in the Vsetín region. The craftsmen first assembled the church in the company courtyard, then, after obtaining a building permit, disassembled it into individual beams and transported it to Guty.

The new building is indistinguishable from the one that burned down from the outside. However, the interior is different from the original. "During the fire, all the furnishings, mostly consisting of movable cultural monuments, were completely destroyed. The new interior design was created by architect Marek Štěpán from Brno. The design is partially based on the original solution, for example, the painting of the choir railing and the modifications to the walls of the presbytery. The actual furnishings of the church, especially the altar and the tabernacle, are completely new and modern," said Kotásek.

The new Guty church also has something extra that the previous building did not have. It is equipped with an electric fire protection system connected to the fire dispatch. The new technical equipment of the church also includes a 24-cubic meter fire water tank. "Compared to the original building, the church is also equipped with fully-fledged organs from the Polish company Zych. The organ has one manual and seven registers. The new equipment also includes four bells," clarified Kotásek.

And it was the sound of the organ that was one of the first things the participants of the festive service heard today. At the beginning of the ceremony, however, the church was closed, and the lights were off inside. The ceremony began outside when the auxiliary bishop handed the keys to the local priest, who then opened the church. This was followed by the blessing of the new organs, and it was during this occasion that their sound was heard for the first time. In other parts of the ceremony, the bishop also blessed the bells and consecrated the altar. Inside the sanctuary, around fifty guests attended the mass.

Only invited guests were allowed into the church for the consecration ceremony and the holy mass. The capacity of the sanctuary and valid epidemic measures did not allow a larger number of people to enter the interior. About 200 other believers watched the ceremony outside the church, where a large-screen display was installed. Members of the public could visit the new church only after the service ended, which started at 10:00 and lasted nearly two hours.

"I am very glad that the church has been restored. It is a very nice and precise job," said Alois Ďubek from Ostrava, who came to see the ceremony. He did not make it into the church during the mass and only viewed it after the ceremony ended. "It seems a bit smaller to me and built closer to the fence. The cross that was placed in front of the church and did not burn in the fire is hanging on the bell tower. I like that," he added.

The 16th-century church burned down on the night of August 2, 2017. The regional court in Ostrava sentenced three young men from Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek to 3.5 years, eight years, and nine years in prison for setting the church on fire. The highest sentence was given to the young man who planned the act. The lowest sentence was imposed on the boy who set the building on fire, who was not of legal age at the time of the act. The driver who brought them to the site received an eight-year sentence.