Church of the Transfiguration, church in Děčín District of Ústí Nad Labem region
The Church of the Transfiguration is a simple Romanesque Revival brick building designed by architect Franz Stolle, with a tower whose spire was set in October 1874. Its altar holds an alabaster statue of Christ by Varnsdorf-born sculptor Vincenz Pilz, installed in 1882, and a large organ by the Berlin firm Dinse dates from 1875.
The church was built in 1873 to designs by architect Franz Stolle, and its tower spire was set in October 1874; it opened on 27 December 1874. Anton Nittel, excommunicated in 1871 for opposing the dogma of papal infallibility, founded the Old Catholic parish here, the first in the Czech lands. The bishop's seat moved from Vienna to Varnsdorf on 1 January 1897, raising the church to cathedral rank; in 1995 the seat moved to Prague and it became a co-cathedral.
The church is the seat of a parish founded by Anton Nittel, excommunicated in 1871 for opposing the dogma of papal infallibility; a memorial plaque inside honours him. Since the 1990s the Czech and German congregations have celebrated Good Friday services together, and in 2014 bishops Dušan Hejbal and Matthias Ring jointly administered confirmation here.
The church stands in Varnsdorf, in the Děčín district, and the parish buildings next to it date from 1880. The Old Catholic community is active again and celebrates Good Friday services together with the German congregation from neighbouring Saxony, so visiting around Easter offers a chance to see the church in use.
The four tower bells were financed by local donors: the largest, cast by Raimund Artel, weighs 1,300 kg, while Varnsdorf's young women collected money for the others. Inside, a memorial plaque with German text recalls Anton Nittel, the catechist excommunicated in 1871 who founded the parish.
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