Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius

The Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius sits on the village green in Dolní Vilímeč, a small settlement in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands not far from Telč. It's a modest, single-nave building from 1728 that was long assumed to belong to the village — until a routine renovation turned up a rather different story.

When was the chapel built, and why here?

The chapel dates from 1728, at a time when the surrounding land had already belonged to the Premonstratensian monastery of Nová Říše for nearly two centuries — Dolní Vilímeč itself became part of the monastery estate back in 1536. The dedication to Cyril and Methodius, the missionary brothers venerated as the apostles of the Slavs, fits a wider pattern in Moravia, where their cult saw a strong revival through the 18th and 19th centuries.

Who actually owns the chapel?

For generations, people in Dolní Vilímeč simply assumed the chapel was municipal property — that was the local understanding, and the building was managed accordingly. Reality turned out otherwise. During one of the renovations, someone checked the land records at the cadastral office in Telč and found that the chapel had never legally belonged to the village at all — ownership rested with the Nová Říše canonry, the same monastic community that had held the surrounding land since the 16th century. It's a small but telling example of how ownership of village chapels in Czechia can diverge sharply from what local memory assumes.

What renovation work has the chapel been through?

The most significant conservation campaign ran from 1883 to 1907, a stretch of work that essentially fixed the chapel's appearance for the following decades. More recently, the building underwent another round of repairs, so despite closing in on three centuries of age, it presents itself in decent shape today.

Is there anything else worth seeing nearby?

Right next to the chapel stands the village's other small celebrity — an ancient pear tree known locally as "Pastouška." Its age rivals that of the chapel itself, and it has served as a landmark on the village green for generations. The pairing of a modest sacred building with a centuries-old tree gives this corner of the village a quiet, distinctly rural character typical of small settlements in the Highlands.

Where exactly is the chapel located?

The chapel stands in the heart of Dolní Vilímeč, on the náves — the traditional village green around which the settlement's houses cluster. The village lies in the Jihlava District of the Vysočina Region, close to Telč, well known for its UNESCO-listed Renaissance square. That makes the chapel an easy addition to a regional day out rather than a destination in its own right — a brief but worthwhile stop for anyone interested in local history and small-scale sacred architecture.

Frequently asked questions

What year was the chapel built? The Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius was built in 1728.

Who owns the chapel today? Despite long-standing local belief that it belonged to the municipality, cadastral records in Telč show the actual owner is the Premonstratensian canonry of Nová Říše.

Is there anything notable next to the chapel? Yes — an ancient pear tree called "Pastouška" grows beside it, a local natural curiosity known in the village for generations.

When was the chapel last renovated? Major conservation work took place between 1883 and 1907, with a further renovation carried out in more recent years.