Chapel of Saint Sebastian

The Chapel of Saint Sebastian stands on Palackého Square in the heart of Uherské Hradiště, a small town on the Morava River in Moravia, Czech Republic. This modest Baroque structure dates back to 1715 and was not built by clergy or nobility, but by the town's own military garrison — which explains its distinctly soldierly history.

How did the chapel come to be built?

1715 was a year of plague in Uherské Hradiště. According to local tradition, a soldier standing guard near the former Kunov Gate fell ill and was given up for dead, only to recover and return to duty. On the spot where this happened, the garrison raised a small votive chapel — both in gratitude for the soldier's survival and in memory of the townspeople and soldiers who did not survive the outbreak. The chapel was dedicated to Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of soldiers and a figure long invoked for protection against plague.

What does the chapel look like?

A cartouche on the facade still carries a Latin inscription, which translates roughly as a dedication built by the pious imperial garrison during a time of plague. A statue of Saint Sebastian crowns the top of the pediment. The chapel itself is small and architecturally unassuming, typical of a votive structure funded by soldiers rather than church patrons, but its position on the town's main square keeps it in plain view of anyone crossing central Uherské Hradiště.

Why was the chapel moved ten meters?

The most unusual chapter in the chapel's history came in 1969. During redevelopment of Palackého Square, the entire structure was hydraulically lifted and shifted roughly ten meters onto new foundations, using a Czechoslovak-patented relocation method developed by engineers Wünsche and Šulák — the first use of this technique in the country. The method proved successful enough that six years later, in 1975, it was applied to a far larger and more famous relocation: moving the Gothic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Most, one of the best-known building relocations in Central Europe. The chapel underwent its most recent renovation in 1997 and is now protected as a cultural monument.

Frequently asked questions

Who built the Chapel of Saint Sebastian? It was built in 1715 by the local military garrison as a votive offering after a plague epidemic.

Why is the chapel dedicated to Saint Sebastian? Saint Sebastian is the patron saint of soldiers and was traditionally invoked for protection against plague, making him a fitting patron for a chapel funded by soldiers.

Was the chapel ever moved? Yes. In 1969 it was hydraulically relocated about ten meters during changes to Palackého Square, using a technique later reused for the relocation of the church in Most.

Where exactly is the chapel located? On Palackého Square in central Uherské Hradiště, in the Slovácko (Moravian Slovakia) region, close to the Morava River.

Can visitors see the chapel? The chapel is visible from the outside as part of the square's streetscape; it last underwent renovation in 1997 and remains protected as a cultural monument.