In the Czech village of Neratov, there is a monument with a very interesting history. It is one example of how abandoned churches can be given new life and serve the community again. The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which had been in ruins for several decades, was rebuilt and adapted to modern needs. This would not have been possible without the commitment of the local community and the activities of the Neratov Association.
From ruin to symbol of rebirth
In the 1980s, Czech clergyman Josef Suchár came across the ruins of the Baroque church in Neratov during a hike. The political situation in Czechoslovakia at the time was not conducive to the restoration of religious buildings, but the priest nevertheless made a vow to one day return and restore the church to its former glory. After the political changes in the country, Suchár began his efforts to rebuild, but the diocesan bishop did not agree. At the time, the parish had only two people, which made rebuilding the church pointless. The clergyman therefore decided that he would rebuild the community first. The first families were brought into the depopulated village to care for children with disabilities. In 1992, the Neratov Association was set up with the aim of restoring life to the area and creating a welcoming place for the excluded.
The glass roof over the prayer area
From the beginning, the church served as a community centre. At first, cleaning work was carried out in it, and in 2007 a comprehensive renovation began. As a result, the church received a distinctive glass roof to symbolically connect the earthly and the spiritual. The original design by Jiří Staré and Petr Dostál means that the interior is filled with light and prayer, as the pastor himself noted, “unhindered by the vaults”, can freely “ascend to heaven”.
History of the site and the church
The first wooden church in Neratov was built around the middle of the 16th century on the initiative of settlers of German origin. At the beginning of the 17th century, the church was extended by Kryštof Mauschwitz, the owner of the surrounding estate, who was of Lutheran faith. It was he who donated the preserved Renaissance baptistery and founded the bell with the family coat of arms. After the death of the founder in 1616, the process of re-Catholisation began and Neratov began to develop as a place of Marian pilgrimage. In 1667, the construction of a brick church began, and between 1723 and 1733, the Baroque Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built. The authorship of the project is sometimes attributed to Giovanni Battis Alliprandi. The consecration of the new church took place on 24 August 1733.
Neratov – destruction and oblivion
At the end of World War II, the church was hit by a Soviet shell, which caused a fire. The flames destroyed the roof, the staircase to the towers, the clock mechanism and the bell. After 1945, makeshift repairs were started, but over time, as a result of the repression of the church and the displacement of the local population, the work was stopped. In 1957, the unattended church’s vaults collapsed, and in the 1960s and 1970s there were plans to demolish the ruined building. The only thing that saved it was the dismantling of the rococo exterior staircase and its removal to Skalka Castle, several dozen kilometres away. At the time, there was not enough money for the demolition.
Neratov and the church today
After years of oblivion and devastation, thanks to the commitment of the parish priest and local residents, the church was rebuilt and once again serves a religious and social function. Work began in 2003 and in stages continues to this day. The church has been on the list of places of pilgrimage of the Hradec Králové diocese since 2011 and has been protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 1992. The Neratov Association carries out social activities for people with disabilities and is the largest employer in the region. Interestingly, the orientation of the building on the north-south axis means that on Christmas Eve, the sun’s rays at sunrise fall directly on the tabernacle.
Source: Monument Conservator, neratov.cz
Also read: Sacred architecture | Czech Republic | Monument | Renovation | whiteMAD on Instagram
The church in 1975 and today. Photo Svobodat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons and Jik jik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The church in 1975 and today. Photo by Svobodat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons and Marzper, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Interior past and present. Photo neratov.cz and Jik jik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The church choir before and after reconstruction. Photo: neratov.cz and Marzper, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
