Chapel of the Epiphany, Baroque chapel in Smiřice, Czech Republic.
The Chapel of the Epiphany in Smiřice is a baroque chapel linked to the castle, with its altar facing north rather than east. A 49-metre tower completed in 1705 adjoins it, topped by an eight-pointed star of the Šternberk family. The interior holds a unified high-baroque decoration, including Petr Brandl's main altar painting Adoration of the Three Kings.
Count Jan Josef of Šternberk laid the foundation stone in 1699, choosing the Epiphany as patron. Construction halted in 1700 when he and his wife Marie Violanta drowned in the Inn in Bavaria; their guardian Václav Vojtěch of Šternberk resumed work about a year later. Baptisms were held from 1711. The design is attributed to Kryštof Dientzenhofer, and the chapel has been a national cultural monument since 1995.
The chapel takes its name from the Epiphany, a connection that shapes how the interior is organized and decorated. The altar arrangement and ornaments center on the feast of the Three Kings, creating a clear visual and spiritual focus for visitors.
The chapel is linked to the Smiřice chateau and stands beside a 49-metre tower; the altar faces north rather than east. It was deconsecrated in 1971 and restored between 1978 and 2004. Concerts and weddings are held here, so check the programme before planning a visit.
The tower, finished in 1705, is topped by an eight-pointed star, the heraldic symbol of the Šternberk family, and this star motif recurs in the interior decoration. The tower also holds the Egidius bell, cast in 1519 by Kutná Hora bell-founder Jakub Ptáček for the church in Ples, a village demolished after 1780 for the Josefov fortress.
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