Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows is a Baroque chapel in Pelhřimov and one of the few religious buildings in the town to have kept its original appearance almost untouched since it was built. It stands on the spot where, according to local tradition, several healings occurred that locals attributed to a painting of the Virgin Mary displayed on a wayside shrine.

How did the chapel come to be built?

Construction was funded by Tobiáš Grötzfel, a townsman of Pelhřimov, and carried out between 1710 and 1714. The building work was entrusted to Italian builders from the Reverelli family, who were active in Bohemia at the time and brought a distinctly Italian Baroque sensibility to the town's religious architecture. The decision to replace the simple wayside shrine with a proper masonry chapel followed directly from reports of the miraculous healings associated with the site.

What does the chapel's architecture look like?

The central, octagonal body of the chapel is topped with a dome, flanked by two rectangular towers. Both the dome and the towers are covered in wooden shingles, giving the structure a distinctive, unified silhouette that sets it apart from other churches in Pelhřimov. The building is considered one of the purest examples of Baroque architecture surviving in the town, since it was never substantially altered in later centuries the way several other local religious buildings were.

What is inside the chapel's crypt?

Beneath the chapel lies a crypt where members of wealthy burgher families connected to its founding and upkeep were buried. In 1787, as part of Josephine-era reforms that restricted burials around churches in town centers, the municipal cemetery was relocated to the grounds around the chapel, moving from its previous site by the Church of St. Vitus. The cemetery beside the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows remained in use until 1906, when burials there finally ceased.

Where is the chapel and how do you get there?

The chapel is located in the town of Pelhřimov, in the Vysočina region of the Czech Republic, at coordinates 49.4264589 N, 15.2247517 E. Because of its history as a cemetery site, the surrounding area has retained a quiet, historic atmosphere typical of former burial grounds on the edge of an old town center.

Frequently asked questions

When was the chapel built? Between 1710 and 1714, funded by the townsman Tobiáš Grötzfel.

Who designed and built the chapel? Builders from the Italian Reverelli family, who were working in Bohemia at the time.

Why was the chapel built on this particular spot? Because a wayside shrine with a painting of the Virgin Mary previously stood there, credited with several miraculous healings of Pelhřimov residents.

Was there a cemetery next to the chapel? Yes, in 1787 the town cemetery was moved here from the Church of St. Vitus, and it remained active until 1906.

What makes the chapel's architecture distinctive? Its octagonal, domed central section flanked by two rectangular towers, all covered in wooden shingles — the building is regarded as one of the best-preserved Baroque structures in Pelhřimov.