Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene

The Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene is a Gothic building dating from the mid-14th century, standing on the Brádlo hill on the southern edge of Kamenice nad Lipou in the Vysočina region. Its octagonal shape and its direct connection to one of the most beautiful forest cemeteries in Central Europe make it stand out even in an area already rich in historic sites.

Where exactly is the chapel located?

The chapel sits on Brádlo, a low hill just beyond the southern edge of the town of Kamenice nad Lipou, in the Pelhřimov district of the Vysočina region. It forms one unit with the surrounding forest cemetery — both were established around the same period and have shared the wooded hillside for centuries.

Who founded the chapel, and when?

The chapel was built in 1348 on the initiative of Dobeš of Bechyně. A hermitage was set up beside it at the same time, suggesting the site was intended from the start as a place of quiet retreat, set apart from the town below.

How has the building changed over the centuries?

The original Gothic structure was an octagon roughly 10.1 meters across, open on all sides, covered by a tall, tent-shaped roof of wooden shingles and topped with an onion-shaped lantern. That open, airy form was typical of cemetery chapels of the period.

In 1554, the chapel underwent a Renaissance rebuild: the open arcades were walled in, and a cupola was added above the structure. A further change came in 1595, when the vault was dismantled and rebuilt — its keystone decorated with the coats of arms of the Malovec and Španovský families, who owned the surrounding estate at the time. A porch was added in 1828, and in 1841 the Geymüller family, then owners of the Kamenice estate, had a burial crypt built beneath the chapel, replacing the roof covering in the same period. The last major intervention was a facade renovation in 1997.

What can you see inside?

The interior is covered by an eight-part rib vault resting on pillars, lit by two walled-up semicircular windows and two quatrefoil windows. The walls carry paintings dating from the early 16th century, evidence of the chapel's once-rich decoration. The main altar painting, depicting Saint Mary Magdalene and dating from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, was stolen in 1993 and is no longer on site.

Why is it worth a visit?

Few places combine a small but architecturally layered cemetery chapel with a forest setting quite like this one, where graves and headstones blend into the wooded slope of the hill. For anyone interested in the history of sacred architecture, the chapel's own story is a compact case study: an open Gothic rotunda gradually enclosed and reworked into a Renaissance building over two and a half centuries.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene built? In 1348, founded by Dobeš of Bechyně, together with a hermitage on the Brádlo hill.

What shape does the chapel have? It is octagonal, about 10.1 meters across, originally open on all sides before being walled in during the 1554 rebuild.

What lies beneath the chapel? A burial crypt of the Geymüller family, owners of the Kamenice estate, built in 1841.

Has the original altar painting survived? No — the painting of Saint Mary Magdalene from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries was stolen in 1993.

What surrounds the chapel? A forest cemetery on the Brádlo hill, considered one of the most beautiful of its kind in Central Europe.