Chapel of the Holy Stairs

The Chapel of the Holy Stairs is a small but strikingly unusual place of worship in Brná, a district of Ústí nad Labem on the right bank of the Elbe, a few kilometres south of the city centre. Unlike a typical chapel, its interior is dominated not by an altar or nave but by a monumental staircase — the stairs themselves are the object of devotion here.

What is inside the chapel?

The heart of the building is a monumental, three-flight, straight staircase. Each flight is separated by solid balustrades faced with grey-streaked marble, and the railings are divided into thirds by pairs of prism-shaped little columns. Four of these columns carry turned marble vases in the upper section of the stairs. At the foot of the staircase, a marble sculptural group of Judas and Christ stands on the right, and Christ and Pilate on the left. The front wall of the upper chapel holds a Calvary scene, and the whole interior is crowned by a ceiling fresco dating from 1899.

Why is it called the Holy Stairs, and what does it symbolise?

The chapel follows the Scala Sancta tradition — a reference to the staircase in the palace of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Christ is said to have climbed repeatedly on the way to his sentencing. Faithful copies of these stairs were built across Europe as pilgrimage sites, where visitors traditionally climb on their knees as an act of penance and meditation on the Passion. The chapel in Brná is a local example of this wider European tradition.

What does the building look like from the outside?

The chapel is a free-standing, single-storey building on a rectangular plan, set within a courtyard. Its façades are articulated with horizontal cornices and vertical pilasters, and the whole structure is topped with a mansard roof. The ground floor features round windows, while the upper level has rectangular, eight-pane windows. The walls are finished in artificial stone in a brownish-grey tone, giving the building its neo-Renaissance character. The main entrance, on the western side, is a semicircular arched portal with a keystone, fitted with a double-leaf door decorated with recessed panels.

What is the history of the chapel?

The chapel's current decoration, including the ceiling fresco, dates from 1899, and the building itself underwent a thorough modern renovation in the 1930s. Today it is listed as a protected cultural monument, forming part of Brná's local religious heritage.

Where is Brná and how do you get there?

Brná has been a district of Ústí nad Labem since 1 July 1980, having previously been an independent municipality. It sits on the right bank of the Elbe, about 5 km south of the centre of Ústí nad Labem, in hilly terrain within the Bohemian Central Uplands (České středohoří). The area now serves as a recreational retreat for the city — nearby is a thermal outdoor pool that has been operating since 1931 and remains popular with locals.

Frequently asked questions

What do the Holy Stairs in the chapel symbolise? They reference the staircase in Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, which Christ is said to have climbed before his sentencing — in the pilgrimage tradition, visitors ascend such stairs on their knees.

What is architecturally most interesting about the chapel? The three-flight marble staircase with its sculptural groups (Judas and Christ, Christ and Pilate) and Calvary scene, combined with the neo-Renaissance façade and mansard roof.

How old is the chapel's current decoration? The ceiling fresco dates from 1899, and the building underwent a thorough modern renovation in the 1930s.

How do you get to the chapel in Brná? Brná lies about 5 km south of central Ústí nad Labem on the right bank of the Elbe — a convenient base from which to also visit the nearby thermal outdoor pool, open since 1931.