Consider the scene. It is the year 1801. A master builder from Podbaba named Matěj Šmaha oversees the construction of what you see before you. This is the Kostel svatého Gotharda in Prague.
This church stands as a testament to both faith and architectural evolution. The Kostel svatého Gotharda is a Roman Catholic parish church. It is a classicist structure built upon Baroque foundations.
Before this classicist building the village of Ovenec stood here. Ovenec is now Bubeneč. In 1800 Count František Václav Kager ze Štampachu initiated the demolition of an older church. He wanted a new more fitting house of worship.
The old church was deemed too cramped and dark. Its ceiling was only wooden. Kager challenged regional authorities to design a new church. The authorities presented a plan to Vienna.
However Viennese officials felt that the proposed dimensions were insufficient. They demanded a larger design. It needed to accommodate half the population of Bubeneč. That meant space for 537 souls. Vienna also criticized the budget. They thought it too low to construct a sufficiently reverent building. The budget was increased by 878 gold coins. It totaled almost 6000.
Once sufficient funds were secured and Vienna approved the plans, the old structure was torn down. The foundation stone of the new Kostel svatého Gotharda was laid on May 4th 1801. Construction proceeded swiftly. Master bricklayer Matěj Šmaha led the build. The original architectural plans and the architect’s identity remain a mystery.
On Sunday October 18th 1801 a grand celebration was held. Václav Leopold Chlumčanský z Přestavlk auxiliary Bishop of Prague arrived to consecrate the new Kostel svatého Gotharda. The church retained its original patron Saint Gothard bishop of Hildesheim.
The Kostel svatého Gotharda boasts a smaller scale. It displays a unique classicist style. This church is the only religious structure of its kind in Prague. Nearby are a former school and town hall. Today the town hall is a business academy.
The Kostel svatého Gotharda features a single-nave hall atop older Baroque foundations. The architect remains unknown. However builder Matěj Šmaha is known.
Ignác Michael Platzer’s workshop created the interior. Viennese painter Barbara Kraftová created the image of the saint on the main altar. An image from the altar of St John of Nepomuk also survives.
An unstable base required repairs and modifications. Josef Zobel oversaw these in 1809-1810. Further changes occurred in 1861. In 1870 a prominent Czech builder Vojtěch Lanna Jr. funded the installation of a clock in the tower.
Originally a cemetery surrounded the Romanesque church. After the 1801 reconstruction the cemetery was reduced. A new cemetery Na Skalce was established. After its closure another cemetery Na Struhách was created. Only part of the original cemetery wall remains.
The history of Kostel svatého Gotharda reflects resilience. It symbolizes faith through war and reconstruction. This church serves as a spiritual anchor for the community.