Chapel of the Holy Trinity in Teplá

The Chapel of the Holy Trinity is a small Baroque octagonal building standing at the junction of Klášterní and Pivovarská streets in Teplá, a small town in the Karlovy Vary region of western Czechia. Although it is often called a "church" in tourist descriptions, it is officially registered as a chapel, attached to the north side of a former town hospital with which it forms a single complex.

Why was a chapel built next to a hospital?

The story starts in the mid-16th century. A hospital was founded in Teplá in 1540, and eight years later, in 1548, a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity was added next to it — a common arrangement of the period, in which an institution caring for the sick and the poor had its own place of worship right on site. That original, still Renaissance-era building did not survive in its first form, because a century and a half later it underwent a thorough rebuilding.

Who gave the chapel its current Baroque appearance?

The building's present look dates back to 1692–1699, when it was rebuilt to a design by Kryštof Dienzenhofer, a member of the architectural family that shaped the Baroque appearance of numerous churches across western and central Bohemia. That rebuilding gave the chapel its distinctive central-plan octagonal layout, a typical Baroque way of organizing sacred space around one compact interior. In 1722 the interior was further fitted out with Baroque altars and liturgical furnishings, none of which have survived to the present day.

What happened to the chapel and hospital over the following centuries?

The adjoining hospital building underwent a major reconstruction in 1891, which gave it the appearance it still has today — a solid masonry structure joined to the Baroque chapel on its north side. The chapel itself was repaired in the 1990s, and the entire complex — chapel and former hospital together — went through a comprehensive renovation in the early 21st century. Today the former hospital grounds house a medical center, a pharmacy and a care home, while the chapel itself now serves as a multi-purpose hall used for occasional ceremonies and events.

Is the chapel worth seeing while visiting Teplá?

The Chapel of the Holy Trinity is not the main draw in Teplá — that role belongs to the nearby Premonstratensian monastery — but it is a worthwhile stop for anyone interested in Baroque architecture or the history of local social care. Its octagonal shape stands out among the surrounding buildings, and its link to the Dienzenhofer family's work makes it a small but valuable piece of the Karlovy Vary region's Baroque heritage. The building is listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

Frequently asked questions

Is it a church or a chapel? Formally it is a chapel — the term "church" is used colloquially and in some tourist materials, but the official heritage register lists the building as a chapel.

When was the Chapel of the Holy Trinity in Teplá built? The original building was erected in 1548, eight years after the neighboring hospital was founded, and the chapel gained its current Baroque form during a rebuilding carried out between 1692 and 1699.

Who designed the Baroque rebuilding? The late-17th-century rebuilding was designed by Kryštof Dienzenhofer, a member of the family of architects who shaped the Baroque look of many churches in Czechia.

What is the chapel used for today? Following renovation in the early 21st century, the chapel now functions as a multi-purpose hall for occasional events, while the adjoining former hospital building houses a medical center.

Where exactly is the chapel located? It stands at the junction of Klášterní and Pivovarská streets in Teplá, against the north wall of the former hospital building.