The owners will give the dilapidated chapel to Pardubice, they will have it repaired

Pardubice - Pardubice has found a new owner for the Chapel of the Holy Trinity. The dilapidated building will likely be donated to the city. It will then be possible to renovate it. The city has a potential buyer who cares for heritage sites. Originally, the town hall proposed demolishing the chapel, but retreated from that decision following a petition. This was stated today by Deputy Mayor Helena Dvořáčková (ANO).

The chapel was built in 1860. The roof is gone, having collapsed, the exterior walls are also crumbling and are incomplete on all sides. The owners were unaware that they owned a sacred monument. In the spring, they will meet with city representatives to discuss the transfer.

"The owners are willing to transfer the chapel to the city, but they do not want to incur any fees linked to it. They will support the transfer if the city covers the costs," Dvořáčková said.

The association Omnium aims to save the chapel, focusing on the restoration of abandoned heritage sites. There are many small sacred structures across the country that no one cares for. The owners possess the land and may not even realize the historical buildings it contains. They are often not listed in the cadastre, said Jakub Děd from the association to ČTK.

"The goal is to transfer the chapel to the association, then to renovate it and use it for spiritual purposes. The chapel is in a deplorable state, and the surrounding area is also not well maintained. But it is not an isolated case," Děd said.

According to his estimates, the renovation of the chapel could cost between half a million and a million crowns. The association receives funds for repairs from grants, donations, and its own activities, Děd added. The association currently has twenty-five projects aimed at saving heritage sites.

The Friends of Pardubice Club highlighted the poor state of the chapel, which also drafted a petition for its rescue. The club points out that in the past, other church buildings in Pardubice have disappeared due to their poor condition. In the 1950s, for example, the chapels of St. Mark and St. Joseph were demolished, and the previous regime allowed the Church of St. James in Hostovice to fall into disrepair, which was subsequently also demolished due to its overall dilapidation.