The prayer room in Libenice near Kolín is a cultural monument

Libenice (Kolínsko) - The Ministry of Culture declared the tolerance prayer house in Libenice in the Kolín region a cultural monument. The prayer house was built by the members of the evangelical congregation themselves and is notable for having remained almost in its original condition, as decreed by Emperor Joseph II, said Marta Hlavatá, the curator of the Libenice evangelical congregation.
    Emperor Joseph II allowed, in 1781, through the so-called Tolerance Patent, the construction of a certain type of prayer house also for followers of non-Catholic faiths. The tolerance prayer house began to be built on a hill in the village of Libenice in 1826 and was completed and consecrated a year later in 1827.
    "Previously, people had to meet in places like barns. Then the emperor allowed prayer houses, but they had to be located outside the village, could not have a bell, and had to have a side entrance," Hlavatá said. According to her, the prayer house with its simple interior decor is notable mainly because it has remained in nearly its original state. "Some churches later added towers and bells. This prayer house remained as it was, probably due to lack of funds," she added.
    The side entrance was later bricked up and a front entrance was built in its place. Likewise, the windows no longer have a straight shape but a round one. The prayer house underwent a significant reconstruction about 12 years ago. The organ was also repaired, allowing concerts to be held on the hill behind the village. Services are held there every 14 days, but the local congregation does not have a permanent pastor. The prayer house is gradually being repaired as funding allows, and this year it received a new colored stained glass window. "In the future, a new roof will be needed. Now that the church is under heritage protection, there will be a better chance of obtaining some grant," hopes the curator.
    In addition to the prayer house, the neighboring cemetery from 1846 with a morgue has been newly declared a cultural monument. In Libenice and throughout the Polabí region, many non-Catholics lived in the 17th and 18th centuries who had to conceal their faith. There were secret paths that preachers from abroad would commonly use, often coming at night, bringing writings from banned authors. The most important routes connected southern Moravia with the Vysočina region, Polabí, and the areas around Říp. Many of these paths survived into the tolerance period of the 18th century. In the second half of the 19th century, the Kolín and Kutná Hora congregations separated from the Libenice congregation. A similar tolerance prayer house stands in nearby Krakovany near Týnec nad Labem in the Kolín region.

photo: www.cestyapamatky.cz