Did a Romanesque rotunda once grace this very spot? We stand before the Church of svatý Gothard, a structure that whispers tales of resilience and transformation. The current church, a neoclassical gem built in 1801, replaced an older, possibly Romanesque structure. Imagine the original church, perhaps a simple rotunda, serving the village of Ovenec, later known as Bubeneč. The dedication to Saint Gotthard hints at an early connection to the Benedictine monks who brought the saint’s veneration to Bohemia. These monks, from Niederaltaich where Gothard was abbot, also established the nearby Břevnov Monastery. Could they have erected a small chapel here, a place for the villagers to gather in prayer?
The Church of svatý Gothard is first documented in 1313 with a priest named Vlk. By 1352, it was officially a parish church. Its location, however, proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Situated on the route from the Vltava River to Prague Castle, Ovenec became a strategic point for armies marching on the city. The village, and the church, suffered repeated destruction, including during the Hussite Wars. In 1420, after a Hussite victory near the village, the Church of svatý Gothard was plundered and the parish dissolved.
The church lay in ruins for centuries. By the late 17th century, the Church of svatý Gothard was again in use, administered for a time by the main Prague parish of Our Lady before Týn. It became a filial church under the administration of Liboc parish, a state of affairs that lasted until 1738. More turmoil followed as armies again ravaged the area during the Thirty Years’ War and the mid-18th century conflicts. The parish was revived in 1786, sparking the initiative to build a new church, dedicated once more to Saint Gotthard.
In 1800, Count František Kager ze Štampachu, the highest burgrave of the Bohemian kingdom, initiated the demolition of the old structure and the construction of the church we see today. The original plans were deemed too modest by the Viennese authorities, requiring enlargement and an increased budget. The current neoclassical building, overseen by builder Matěj Šmaha, was consecrated in October 1801 by auxiliary Bishop Václav Leopold Chlumčanský.
The interior of the Church of svatý Gothard boasts a unified design crafted by the Platzer workshop shortly after the rebuilding. The main altar painting of Saint Gotthard is the work of Viennese artist B. Kraftová. Notice the side altar, now dedicated to the Divine Heart of Jesus. This altar originally housed a statue of Saint Anthony and an image of Saint John of Nepomuk. The present statue of the Divine Heart, by František Charvát, was initially intended for the opposite altar. Despite its turbulent past, the Church of svatý Gothard stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of faith, rebuilt and reimagined through the centuries.