Church of Saint Wenceslaus

The Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus is a small, single-nave cemetery church in Prague, standing within the grounds of Vinohrady Cemetery (Vinohradský hřbitov) in the Prague 10 – Vinohrady district. Although often referred to informally as a "church," it is formally a cemetery chapel and functions as the ceremonial hall of the burial ground.

When was the Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus built?

The building was constructed in 1897 to a design by architect Antonín Turek, more than a decade after the cemetery itself was founded in 1885. Vinohrady Cemetery was established to serve the rapidly growing Vinohrady parish, a district that was undergoing intense urban and demographic expansion at the time, creating the need for a dedicated burial ground for its residents.

What architectural style does the chapel represent?

The chapel was built in the Neo-Gothic style. The lower part of the entrance façade forms a three-part vestibule, above which rises a tall, articulated gable crowned on the eastern side by a small sanctus turret. The walls are built of roughly worked, unfinished stone, giving the structure the heavy, austere character typical of late 19th-century funerary architecture. Inside, the space is covered by cross-ribbed vaulting, a feature characteristic of Neo-Gothic design.

What happened to the chapel during the communist era?

Under communist rule, the building ceased to serve religious functions and gradually fell into disrepair, a fate shared by many sacred buildings of the period due to lack of maintenance and neglect. The situation changed only after 1989, when the chapel was restored. Today it once again serves for funeral ceremonies and additionally houses a lapidarium — a collection of stone architectural and gravestone fragments maintained by Prague's cemetery administration.

Why is this chapel better known than other cemetery chapels?

The site gained particular prominence through the burial of Václav Havel, the former President of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic and one of the most significant figures in recent Czech history. Havel was laid to rest in the family tomb located in the outer ambulatory of the chapel in December 2011. Since then, the site has drawn visitors beyond mourners — including those wishing to pay tribute to the former head of state.

Where exactly is the chapel located?

The Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus stands within Vinohrady Cemetery, which covers nearly ten hectares in the Prague 10 – Vinohrady district. Besides its historical significance tied to notable burials, the cemetery is also an example of 19th-century funerary architecture and forms part of a larger network of Prague necropolises neighboring the nearby Olšany Cemetery.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus open to visitors? The building primarily serves a ceremonial function — funerals are held here — while the cemetery grounds themselves are open to the public during standard opening hours.

Who is buried near the chapel? The best-known burial associated with the chapel is the Havel family tomb, where Václav Havel was laid to rest in 2011.

How does this chapel differ from the Church of St. Wenceslaus in Vršovice? These are two separate buildings sharing the same dedication. The functionalist parish church in Vršovice was designed by Josef Gočár and built in 1929–1930, while this cemetery chapel in Vinohrady is older, dating to 1897, and built in the Neo-Gothic style.

In what architectural style was the chapel built? It was built in the Neo-Gothic style, featuring cross-ribbed vaulting and a rugged stone façade.