Church of Saint Elisabeth in Kbely

Church of Saint Elizabeth in Kbely is a modest Roman Catholic parish church in Kbely, a district on Prague's north-eastern edge best known for its airfield and aviation museum. Built in the early 2000s, the church stands out for one thing above all: its shape, deliberately modeled on a loaf of bread with a piece cut away.

Why didn't Kbely have a church for centuries?

Kbely has existed as a settlement since at least 1130, when Duke Soběslav I granted the village to the Vyšehrad chapter. Despite that long history, it never had its own church — locals were part of the parish in neighboring Vinoř. That only changed after the First World War, when the village began growing quickly, largely because of Kbely Airport, the first airfield built in Prague and in the Czech lands. A larger population needed a place to worship closer to home.

How did the first chapel come about?

In 1931, Dr. František Nosek bought a building plot in Kbely and converted a barn on it into a chapel, standing at what is now the corner of Vrchlabská and Železnobrodská streets. The chapel was consecrated on 28 October 1932 by Dr. Josef Vlasák, Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star. It operated as a filial church of the Vinoř parish, under the patronage of the Third Order of St. Francis. Kbely only got its own quasi-parish on 27 January 1997, and full parish status came much later still, on 18 February 2015 — three years after the Franciscan Province formally took over pastoral care of the community in 2007.

Why is the church shaped like a loaf of bread?

Plans for a proper church building in Kbely date back to before the Second World War, but construction didn't happen until 2001–2003, when the old 1932 chapel was demolished to make way for it. The design concept came from Italian architect Bernardo d'Ambrose, who gave the building the form of a loaf of bread with a section cut off and "given away" — a direct reference to the church's patron, St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, remembered for her charitable work and for giving bread to the poor. The finished church was consecrated on 13 June 2004 by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk.

What's inside?

The interior matches the exterior's guiding idea: simple, restrained, and unified by design. D'Ambrose, the same architect responsible for the building's shape, also designed its stained-glass windows and interior decoration, so the whole structure reads as one coherent piece rather than a shell with unrelated furnishings added later.

Where exactly is it?

The church stands on Železnobrodská street in Prague's Kbely district (Prague 19), close to Kbely Airport and the Prague-Kbely Aviation Museum. Its coordinates are 50.1333233, 14.5474736.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the Church of St. Elizabeth in Kbely? The current building dates from 2001–2003, but a place of worship on the site goes back to 1932, when the first chapel of the same dedication opened here.

Who designed the church? Italian architect Bernardo d'Ambrose created the design concept, including the building's shape, its stained-glass windows and its interior decoration.

Why does the church look like a loaf of bread? The shape — with a piece cut away — symbolizes the charitable work of St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, the church's patron, who was known for giving bread and alms to the poor.

When was the church consecrated? The new building was consecrated on 13 June 2004 by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk.

Is Kbely an independent parish? Yes, though only formally since 2015. Before that it was a filial church of the Vinoř parish, and from 1997 a quasi-parish.