Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Krhová

The Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius stands right in the center of Krhová, a small village in the Vsetín District of the Zlín Region in Moravia. Built as a brick structure completed in 1897, it remains the only sacred building in the village — Krhová never got its own church, so this chapel has always served as the community's main landmark.

Why does the chapel sit at the heart of the village?

Construction finished in 1897, and from the start the building was conceived as a freestanding, solitary structure placed in the middle of Krhová rather than as an extension of any other complex. That central position turned it, over time, into the natural reference point for the village — the spot around which the life of this small community has revolved ever since.

What does the chapel look like on the outside?

The building is compact: a rectangular main body is extended on one side by an offset, semicircularly closed presbytery. The gable roof, with hipped ends, is covered in standing-seam sheet metal today, though it was originally finished in wooden shingles. The entrance façade is smoothly plastered, and above a profiled cornice rises a triangular gable pierced by a large, semicircular window. The doorway itself is framed by an aedicule-style portal with a triangular tympanum and pilasters on either side. The rectangular opening is closed by artistically crafted double-leaf filled doors dating to the early 20th century, still fitted with their original decorative wrought-iron hardware. The side walls each carry a single semicircularly closed window with a chamfered surround following the curve of the arch.

Where does the local legend about Cyril and Methodius come from?

Inside the chapel hangs a marble plaque with an engraved inscription. According to the text, oral tradition passed down through generations holds that Saints Cyril and Methodius preached and baptized people on this very spot, roughly around the year 865. That tradition is the reason the chapel carries their names: the two brothers from Thessaloniki are venerated across Moravia as the missionaries who devised a Slavic script and brought Christianity here in the Slavonic rite back in the 9th century, and Krhová chose to mark that legend with a chapel of its own.

What is the history of Krhová itself?

Krhová had long belonged to the parish of nearby Valašské Meziříčí. In 1953 the village was administratively absorbed into that town and remained part of it for six decades. A local referendum eventually restored its independence: since January 1, 2013, Krhová has again been a separate municipality within the Vsetín District. Through all of these administrative changes, the chapel has stayed put as a fixed feature of the village landscape.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius located? In the center of the village of Krhová, in the Vsetín District of the Zlín Region, Moravia.

When was the chapel built? Construction was completed in 1897.

Does Krhová have any other church besides this chapel? No — it's the only sacred building in the village and serves as its main landmark.

What legend is tied to this site? A marble plaque inside the chapel states that, according to oral tradition, Saints Cyril and Methodius preached and baptized here around the year 865.

What are the notable architectural features of the chapel? A triangular gable with a semicircular window above the entrance, an aedicule-style portal with a tympanum, early-20th-century double-leaf doors with original wrought-iron fittings, and a semicircularly closed presbytery.

Has Krhová always been an independent municipality? No — it was absorbed into Valašské Meziříčí in 1953 and only regained independent status on January 1, 2013, following a local referendum.