Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Late Baroque church in Malá Chuchle, Czech Republic.
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is a Late Baroque church in Malá Chuchle with a rectangular nave and a slightly recessed square presbytery, its ground plan following that of the earlier Romanesque church on the site. The facade has casula-shaped windows and volute Baroque gables on the east and west fronts. It has no bell tower; instead a small lantern-like metal turret with an onion dome sits on the roof, holding two bells, the larger cast in 1708 and dedicated to Saint Bernard.
A church existed here by 1264, and in 1298 Bishop Řehoř Zajíc z Valdeka placed it under the Zbraslav Monastery. The old building collapsed because of rising damp, so a new Late Baroque church was built on a raised embankment and consecrated on 7 September 1774 by Abbot Celestin Stoye. It was called the Church of the Name of the Virgin Mary until 1948.
Since 2019 the building has been lent by the Roman Catholic parish to a Greek-speaking Orthodox parish under the Prague Eparchy, which worships here as the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God. The parishioners are mainly Greek speakers, and interior renovation and facade repairs are being carried out with the permission of the heritage office.
The church remains open for worship and visits, with easy access via Prague's public transportation network. It is helpful to check beforehand about service times to ensure a respectful visit during appropriate hours.
The church transitioned from Roman Catholic to Greek Orthodox administration, a rare shift for a rural Baroque building. Visitors can observe this transformation today through the interplay between the original architecture and contemporary Orthodox elements.
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