From the ashes of the old, rose the new. The svatý Fabián a Šebestián church you see before you wasn’t always this bright, airy structure. Let me transport you back to a time before 1842, before this current church graced Liboc. Imagine a smaller, darker, damper church. Its entrance lay several steps below ground level, almost swallowed by the rising earth of the surrounding graveyard. This was the original svatý Fabián a Šebestián, a church steeped in whispers of ancient origins. Some legends even claimed its founding in 992 by King Boleslav II, marking the spot where a pagan lord had slain the priest Prostivoj. While the exact date is debated, the church’s dedication to Saints Fabian and Sebastian hints at a 13th-century birth, likely Romanesque in style, later evolving with Gothic additions.
The first solid records appear in the 14th century, mentioning a parish church under the patronage of Břevnov Abbey. A procession of clergymen served here until 1419, when the winds of the Hussite era swept through Bohemia. In 1421, Liboc was wrestled from the Abbey’s grasp, eventually landing under Prague’s jurisdiction. Utraquist priests likely held sway within svatý Fabián a Šebestián’s walls until the Battle of White Mountain reshaped religious landscape.
After the Thirty Years’ War, a long silence fell upon the parish. It wasn’t until 1671 that Bartoloměj Hallo z Hallenbergu is recorded administering to the spiritual needs of Liboc. Later, the highest burgrave, Bernard Count Martinic, funded a substantial renovation, adding Baroque touches to the Gothic structure. By 1702, the parish was revived, encompassing a vast area: Ruzyně, the Hvězda game preserve, Nebušice, Vokovice, Veleslavín, Řepy with its own Romanesque St. Martin’s Church, Bílá Hora, Stodůlky, Košíře, and until 1738, Bohnice.
Enter František Lampa, the parish priest from 1824 to 1851. A man of vision, he initiated the parish chronicle in 1836 and championed the construction of the church we stand before today. The old svatý Fabián a Šebestián, no longer fit for purpose, was demolished in 1842. In its place, builder Karel Brust brought to life a late-classicist design by architect Tomáš Walou. On October 20, 1844, the new svatý Fabián a Šebestián church was consecrated, its grand hipped roof and white walls a stark contrast to its predecessor. Inside, Josef Hellich’s depiction of Saints Fabian and Sebastian graced the main altar, accompanied by side altars dedicated to Christ on the Cross and the Virgin Mary. Gartner, a renowned organ builder, provided the instrument that filled the space with sacred music.
Even this new church saw its share of changes. A central window above the main altar was bricked up in 1848, a victim of fierce westerly winds. A large bell suffered damage during a fire in 1863. The main bell had to be recast and remounted in 1898 due to rotting wood in its frame. A “Kaiser’s Altar” was installed in 1898 to commemorate 50 years of Emperor Franz Joseph I’s reign. This was later transformed into a “Republican Altar” in 1927, only to be removed in 1952. Today, the svatý Fabián a Šebestián church stands as a testament to its enduring spirit, a blend of history, faith, and the tireless efforts of those who shaped it over the centuries.