Chapel of Saint Anne

The Chapel of Saint Anne stands in the Mšeno nad Nisou district of Jablonec nad Nisou, a town in the Liberec region of the Czech Republic. This modest Baroque chapel is one of the last physical traces of Mšeno (German: Grünwald), a once-independent settlement that grew up near one of the oldest glassworks in the area, first documented as early as 1546.

Where does the chapel come from, and why here?

The chapel was most likely built between 1780 and 1782, along what was then the main road running through Mšeno. The year 1782 is still carved above the entrance. It dates from the late Baroque period, when small roadside chapels like this one were built both as expressions of popular piety and as landmarks and prayer stops for residents of a scattered rural settlement. Since 3 May 1958 the building has been listed as a Czech cultural monument, which protects it from demolition or unsympathetic rebuilding. Administratively, the chapel belongs to the Jablonec nad Nisou deanery.

What does the Chapel of Saint Anne look like?

The building is small and compact: a rectangular nave closed at the chancel end by a semicircular recess. The façade carries a carved, scalloped frame around a rectangular entrance portal and a semicircular-headed window above it. A triangular gable rises over the entrance, its peak distinctively beveled rather than coming to a sharp point — a detail that sets it apart from the more common, sharply peaked gables of village chapels in the region. Inside, the nave is covered by a barrel vault with lunettes, while the chancel recess is closed with a conch vault, a half-dome typical of small Baroque sacred architecture. Standing nearby is a Pieta statue dated 1786, completed only a few years after the chapel itself.

What role does the chapel play today?

The chapel has long been in the care of the town of Jablonec nad Nisou, which runs an ongoing programme of repairs for small sacred monuments across its territory — previous projects have included a chapel in Proseč, a water reservoir at Dobrá Voda, wayside crosses at Kokonín and toward Šumava, and a Marian column in Rýnovice. The chapel in Mšeno was included in these renovation plans as well. In the meantime, the building was loaned by the town to the local civic association PLAC, which used the interior to host exhibitions — giving this small sacred building a cultural role alongside its original religious purpose.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Chapel of Saint Anne a protected monument? Yes, it has been listed as a Czech cultural monument since 1958.

When was the chapel built? Most likely between 1780 and 1782 — the year 1782 is carved above the entrance.

Where exactly is the chapel located? In the Mšeno nad Nisou district, part of the town of Jablonec nad Nisou, along the former main road through the old settlement.

Is the chapel still used for religious purposes? It formally belongs to the Jablonec nad Nisou deanery, and in practice it has also been used for cultural purposes, including exhibitions organised by a local association.

What else is worth seeing near the chapel? Right beside it stands a Baroque Pieta statue from 1786, closely linked in date and style to the chapel itself.