Believers commemorated the 75th anniversary of the consecration of the Vinohrady Church

Prague - Today, the believers commemorated the 75th anniversary of the consecration of the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord at Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague's Vinohrady with a full-day program. "The consecration of the church is like a birthday for that church," said Prague Archbishop Miloslav Vlk to the believers at the Mass that concluded the evening celebrations.
    The church was designed by Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik, who became well-known in the Czech Republic primarily as the designer of renovations at Prague Castle, and it became a dominant feature of Vinohrady and a significant part of Prague's skyline. It was consecrated on May 8, 1932.
    The anniversary of the church's consecration was marked by an exhibition in its basement, which began on May 3 and will be accessible again on Thursday and Sunday. The day's full program started with a requiem mass for the church's builder Plečnik in the morning, followed by a guided tour of the building with expert commentary. Before the concluding festive mass, a concert by the church choir Cantores Cordis also took place in the church.
    Plečnik completed his design in 1927, significantly altering his original vision, which included generous space for additional buildings like a school, residential houses, or a triumphal arch. The reason for this change was the lack of financial resources for such an ambitious construction.
    In designing the church, Plečnik was reportedly inspired by early Christian Mediterranean architecture. The rectangular hall measures 26 by 38 meters and is 14 meters high. The wide main tower, which has six bells, is topped with a three-meter copper dome and a four-meter-high cross, reaching a height of 42 meters. The tower features a large round window with a diameter of 7.6 meters, which also functions as a clock.
    Last year, the Ministry of Culture listed the church on the preliminary list of monuments and cultural assets that the Czech Republic proposes for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the period 2007 to 2018.