Church of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

The Church of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux stands on Kobyliské náměstí in Prague's Kobylisy district, right beside the Kobylisy metro station. It's a modest-looking building whose backstory is far more winding than its current appearance suggests — the church you see today is the result of a 1997–2000 rebuild of a much older chapel.

Where does this church come from?

The story starts in 1926, when local landowner Antonín Ženíšek donated a roughly 2,000 m² plot to the Catholic building cooperative "Charitas" for the purpose of erecting a church here. A society was then formed to build and maintain a Roman Catholic church for Prague 8-Kobylisy. It took until December 8, 1934 for Cardinal Karel Kašpar, Archbishop of Prague, to bless the foundation stone.

Why a chapel first, instead of a full church?

Construction began on July 17, 1936, but rather than a full-scale church, what went up was a more modest, provisional chapel — designed by architect Čeněk Vořech. Four designs for the eventual large church have survived in archives, but none of them was ever built. The chapel itself was consecrated on October 24, 1937, again by Cardinal Kašpar.

Its construction ran alongside the building of the neighboring Salesian institute in Kobylisy, overseen by Štěpán Trochta, who became the institute's first director. It's the Salesians of Don Bosco who still run the parish today.

When was the parish established?

The Kobylisy parish was formally established on December 1, 1946 — after the war — even though the chapel itself had already been serving worshippers for roughly a decade by that point.

How did the chapel become today's church?

The building visitors see now is the product of a thorough reconstruction carried out between 1997 and 2000. Rather than finally building the large church envisioned in the 1930s designs, the parish chose to expand and modernize the existing 1936 chapel, elevating it to the status of a full parish church.

Where exactly is the church located?

The church sits on Kobyliské náměstí, the central square of the Kobylisy district in Prague 8, directly next to the Kobylisy station on metro line C — meaning it's only a short ride from the city center.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the original 1930s church? Not quite. Its foundations and basic structure date to the chapel built in 1936–1937, but the building's current form comes from a 1997–2000 reconstruction.

Who designed the original chapel? Architect Čeněk Vořech, whose design was built in 1936–1937.

Why was the large church originally planned never built? Four designs for a full-scale church were drawn up, but none was ever realized — over time the more modest 1936 chapel became the lasting place of worship instead, later rebuilt rather than replaced.

Who runs the parish today? The Salesians of Don Bosco, present in Kobylisy since the neighboring Salesian institute was built in the 1930s.

How do you get to the church? The easiest way is via metro line C to Kobylisy station — the church stands right on Kobyliské náměstí, next to the station exit.