The prayer room of the Church of the Brethren congregation in Litomyšl

The building summarizes the principles of ancient and modern architecture into a simple concept utilizing the terrain configuration and transforms the principles of various classical cultures. Although the building is of small dimensions, it "reaches up to the clouds" and runs off into the distance as a symbolic pathway. By embedding the building, we have achieved optimal acoustic comfort on one side and a minimal volume on the other. The exterior is implemented with regard to vandalism resistance – the exposed concrete is treated with transparent coatings, and the openings are filled with safety glass with a film. The interior is designed to create a pleasant home environment for a small community. It is simple, intended to be complemented by greenery.
The utilized construction methods include exposed reinforced concrete, thermal insulation, and wooden and stone cladding. The external structural glazing consists of hot-dip galvanized steel structures. The wooden Euro windows are painted silver on the outside and treated with oil on the inside. The entrance glazing has an aluminum frame. The space is unified by a floor made of poured screed. On the walls, exposed concrete, wooden cladding, and white plaster alternate. Artists Karel Malich (altar part) and Václav Cígler (glass cross) were invited to complement the church.

In 2007, the Brotherhood Church in Litomyšl had nearly a hundred years of activity behind it. Its platform gave rise to a civic association called Naděje, which now operates in Česká Třebová, Vysoké Mýto, and Litomyšl. However, it struggled with inadequate facilities. Since its inception, it had used a house in a residential area on Nádražní Street, which underwent several reconstructions. In recent years, it had also adapted spaces primarily intended for other purposes due to capacity reasons. After considering all possible solutions to the unsatisfactory situation, it was decided to build a new church on a "green field." This decision was aided by the city of Litomyšl, which donated land to the congregation and participated in selecting the architectural solution through a invited competition. The design of Zdeněk Fránek was chosen in this competition. In the proposal, Zdeněk Fránek was guided by a motto selected by the client: God, your mercy reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Psalm 57:11. The building contains a hall for 150 people, two multifunctional clubrooms, and a social vestibule with facilities. The aim was to create a pleasant, dignified, and variable environment suitable for cultural and educational events. A apartment for the congregation’s pastor and his family is located on the 2nd above-ground floor. The construction began in November 2008 and the first Christmas service took place in the unfinished church on December 25, 2009. The building was completed and approved at the end of November 2010, and it was ceremonially opened on December 4.
In Austria, France, or Greece, local churches are open all day long. The primary intention of this building is also to create a modern open space for hearing the Gospel, quiet reflection, and stopping for individuals. Symbolically, this intention contrasts with the busy capacity communication I/35 that borders the plot. The building offers possible answers to the questions of what liturgical space or liturgy means in relation to contemporary architecture.
Source: Brotherhood Church in Litomyšl

Main Hall

Contemporary architecture has the potential to be liberated from the burden of mechanically used rules of canonical bindings. However, few architects can use this offer freely, creatively, without prejudice, and with humility. Zdeněk Fránek has succeeded very well in the case of the Litomyšl church. With a simple, comprehensible conceptual gesture in the arrangement of floors and ceilings of the building, he managed to create a space that is both modern and archetypal, perfectly connected to the earth while pointing to heavenly heights, giving man a sense of compression and expansion, and allowing light to triumph after a struggle with darkness. It is a concept of spiritual space that I rank highly among others recently realized in our country.
Josef Pleskot, architect

Clubroom Space

The construction of the new church of the Brotherhood Church is not only further evidence that Litomyšl is a city capable of being architecturally sensitive to the times but also a symbol of listening to the voices of ordinary people who seek a meaningful place for their not just spiritual meetings. I consider the successful completion of any project in which people contribute their own resources, will, goodwill, and humility, a success, and I am glad that this has been achieved precisely in Litomyšl.
Michal Kortyš, mayor of Litomyšl

Use of YTONG masonry construction

"The masonry structures are made of Ytong blocks, which were chosen for several reasons. Their great advantage is low weight, which avoids unnecessary loading and increasing the dimensions of monolithic reinforced concrete structures,” says the architect, who enjoys using them for their good moldability. He works with it on-site until the last moment.