Church of Saints Procopius and Barbara, Greek Catholic wooden church in Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem, Czech Republic
The Church of Saints Procopius and Barbara is a Greek Catholic wooden church of the Bojkov type, built with oak beams rather than the usual coniferous timber. It has a steep, tiered pyramidal roof topped with onion domes, and its tower was rebuilt new in 1931 because the original did not survive the move.
The Greek Catholic church of the Archangel Michael was built in Hliňanec near Čynadijovo, Svalava district, at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1928 Eduard Šebela, general director of the Witkowitz coal mines, bought it for 24,000 crowns, had it dismantled and moved by rail to Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem, where it was rebuilt on the Na Humenci hill. The roof was made anew and the tower, which did not survive, was replaced by a new one modelled on other Bojkovský-type churches; on 23 August 1931 Bishop Jan Stavěl consecrated it to Saints Procopius and Barbara.
The church is Greek Catholic, not Orthodox, and is known locally as the "Russian Church". Its patron saints, Procopius and Barbara, are the patrons of miners, reflecting the mining community of Kunčice. A rumour held that Eduard Šebela bought the church for his daughter's wedding, but Milada Šebelová married Count Larisch-Mönnich there only in 1937, six years after the consecration.
The church is located in a small village and is best reached by private transport from nearby towns. Since it remains an active worship space, contacting the community beforehand helps arrange a respectful visit.
The church was dismantled in Hliňanec in 1931 and shipped by rail to Kunčice. Its tower did not survive the move, so a new one was built following other Bojkovský-type churches, and the roof was made anew. A local rumour held that Eduard Šebela bought it for his daughter's wedding, but that ceremony took place only in 1937.
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