Chapel of Saint Isidore the Laborer, Jilemnice

The Chapel of Saint Isidore the Laborer stands on the southern slope of Kozinec hill just above the town of Jilemnice, in the foothills of the Krkonoše (Giant) Mountains in northern Bohemia. This small Baroque building honors Isidore the Farmer, patron saint of farmers and protector against drought, and its story is tied to a healing legend and to a spring that once supplied the town below with water.

How did the chapel come to stand on Kozinec hill?

The chapel's construction is usually dated to 1719, though a 19th-century inventory of Jilemnice's Church of St. Lawrence, drawn up in 1854, notes that the chapel had already been renovated by 1718 — meaning it must have stood even earlier than the commonly cited date. Local tradition ties its founding to a furrier's apprentice who fell ill with sore eyes. According to the story, a beautiful woman appeared to him and told him to wash his eyes with water from a nearby spring; once he recovered, his father had the chapel built on that very spot in gratitude.

Why does a spring matter here?

A spring rises beneath the chapel, and it was far more than a curiosity for the town of Jilemnice. From the 17th century onward, its water was piped down into town, feeding among other things the local brewery and public fountains. Two side stairways that once led down to the spring's cellar chamber survive to this day. The waterworks built around the spring were upgraded several times over the centuries and kept supplying Jilemnice until the 1970s.

What has the chapel been through?

For generations the chapel was a pilgrimage site: devotional Masses were held here as late as the end of the 1940s, with stalls selling refreshments to visitors set up in the adjoining field on feast days. Decline followed — in the 1980s the chapel was vandalized: its door was torn off, three wooden statues were stolen or destroyed, the altar was demolished, and a hole was broken through the vault. The building underwent a full reconstruction only in 2000, and on 27 August that year it was reconsecrated by Bishop Dominik Duka. Two years later, in 2002, the tradition of an annual pilgrimage Mass was revived, held on the Sunday closest to Isidore's feast day, 10 May.

What should visitors know before going?

The chapel sits outside the town center, on the wooded slope of Kozinec, reached along quiet paths through fields and forest — a modest site that pairs a scenic setting with a piece of local religious history. It remains in the care of the local Roman Catholic parish, and the calendar's liveliest moment is the pilgrimage Sunday around Isidore's feast day in May, when the chapel briefly draws visitors from the surrounding area.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Jilemnice chapel dedicated to? Saint Isidore the Farmer (Isidore the Laborer), patron of farmers and protector against drought.

When was the chapel built? Tradition points to 1719, though records of a renovation already underway in 1718 suggest an earlier origin.

Why is there a spring next to the chapel? Legend credits the spring's water with healing a furrier's apprentice's eyes, which is why the chapel was founded here; the same spring supplied Jilemnice with water from the 17th century until the 1970s.

Was the chapel ever damaged? Yes — vandals gutted it in the 1980s, destroying the altar and statues. It was fully restored and reconsecrated in 2000.