Church of Saints John and Paul in Krteň

The Church of Saints John and Paul in Krteň stands alone on a spur above the Dalejský stream, on the site of a medieval village that vanished centuries ago. The ground it occupies now falls within the Třebonice cadastral area, in Prague's Praha 13 district, roughly between Stodůlky and Třebonice and close to the hamlet of Chaby — still inside Prague's city limits, but well out on the western edge, far from any crowds.

Why is there a church out here with no village around it?

The building went up around 1250 as a proprietary chapel attached to a nearby manor — a common arrangement for small Bohemian churches of that era, built next to the lord's residence rather than in a village center. In the 14th century the eastern end was reworked into an unusual five-sided presbytery reinforced with buttresses. From there the church grew in fits and starts: a side chapel was added in 1575, the nave got new vaulting around 1600, a sacristy followed in 1699, and the tower was raised to its present height between 1732 and 1734.

Why Saints John and Paul specifically?

A local tradition recorded as early as 1371 credits the dedication to Queen Elisabeth of Pomerania, wife of Charles IV, who is said to have prayed here for her husband's recovery on 26 June — the feast day of Saints John and Paul, two Roman martyrs. Legend or not, that feast day still brings an annual pilgrimage mass to the church every June. In the Middle Ages the surrounding land belonged to the Bohemian kings, and during the Hussite period ownership passed to the St. Vitus Chapter.

What survives inside after all those rebuilds?

Despite centuries of alterations, the interior keeps its medieval bones: tower, nave and presbytery all still read as original. The presbytery is covered by a ribless cross vault, with a Romanesque window depicting the evangelists in one wall; the nave has a later wooden coffered ceiling with a gallery underneath. The real find is the painting uncovered during the 1890 restoration: on the presbytery's east wall, fragments of a late-13th-century Christological cycle survive — Christ's baptism, the dream of Joseph, the Presentation in the Temple, and Christ enthroned — among the oldest surviving wall paintings near Prague. Most furnishings — altar, pulpit, pews, a few 18th-century tombstones — date from the late 19th century, unified in neo-Romanesque style.

How did the church survive to the present?

The turning point for the building's current appearance came in 1890, when architect Živný carried out a thorough neo-Romanesque restoration that pulled the structure back from decay. That work gave the exterior its white plaster finish along with the neo-Romanesque pilasters and arched window surrounds still visible today. The west tower remains the dominant feature, visible from some distance across the stream valley.

Can you actually visit it?

The church now serves as a secondary chapel of the Roman Catholic parish of Ořech and opens only occasionally, chiefly for the June pilgrimage mass tied to its patron saints' feast day. Otherwise it sits as a quiet landmark along the walking routes through the Dalejský stream valley — scenic, but not the kind of place you stumble onto by accident, since it stands well away from any built-up area.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? In the Třebonice cadastral area of Prague's Praha 13 district, between Stodůlky and Třebonice above the Dalejský stream — not in Lipence and not on the Vltava, despite occasionally being mixed up with that area.

How old is the church? Its oldest section dates to around 1250, though the building as it stands today reflects rebuilding in the 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

What's the main highlight inside? Fragments of late-13th-century Gothic wall paintings, uncovered during the 1890 restoration.

Can visitors go inside? The church opens only occasionally, mainly for its annual June pilgrimage mass; otherwise it stays closed.

Is there anything else worth seeing nearby? Yes — the Dalejský stream valley is a popular walking and cycling route through western Prague, connecting to the Prokopské and Dalejské valleys.