kaple Cyrilka

The Cyrilka Chapel is a small church standing right next to the basilica at Velehrad, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Moravia. Its official dedication is to the Epiphany, but locally it is almost always called Cyrilka — a name rooted in the tradition connecting the site to the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Great Moravia.

Why is it called Cyrilka?

The building itself dates back to the 13th century and originally formed part of the Cistercian monastery complex at Velehrad. A long-standing local belief held that this was the very chapel where Saint Cyril once celebrated Mass. Whether or not that claim can be historically verified, the tradition mattered enormously for the building's fate — it is the reason the chapel survived while much of the surrounding monastery did not.

How did the chapel survive destruction and the dissolution of the monastery?

In 1421 the entire monastic complex at Velehrad was damaged during a Hussite raid. A second major threat came in 1784, when the Cistercian monastery was dissolved and many of its buildings were demolished or repurposed. The Cyrilka chapel escaped that fate precisely because of its association with Cyril and Methodius — locals regarded it as too spiritually significant to tear down.

Repurchase and neo-Gothic restoration

A turning point came in 1863, when the Archbishop of Olomouc, Bedřich Fürstenberg, bought the chapel back from Jiří Sina and restored its original sacred purpose. Funded by the archbishop, the building underwent a thorough renovation in the neo-Gothic style, giving it much of the appearance it still has today.

What is worth seeing inside?

The most distinctive feature of the interior is its iconostasis — a wall of icons separating the sanctuary from the nave, a hallmark of Eastern liturgy rather than the Roman Catholic tradition typical of Czech churches. This arrangement was introduced in the 1920s, when the chapel's interior was adapted for services in the Eastern rite, echoing the Byzantine roots of the Cyril and Methodius mission. The current iconostasis dates from 1929 and is the work of the academic painter Vladimír Novotný of Prague. Since 2008, Cyrilka, together with the entire former Cistercian monastery complex at Velehrad, has been listed as a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the chapel called Cyrilka? The name comes from a tradition claiming that Saint Cyril, co-founder of the Christian mission to Great Moravia, once celebrated Mass on this spot.

How old is the chapel building? The structure itself dates to the 13th century, though its current neo-Gothic appearance is the result of a restoration carried out in 1863.

What is the iconostasis inside Cyrilka? It is a wall of icons separating the sanctuary from the nave, characteristic of Eastern-rite liturgy. The present iconostasis was painted in 1929 by Vladimír Novotný of Prague.

Is Cyrilka a protected monument? Yes. Since 2008 the chapel, along with the entire former monastery complex at Velehrad, has held the status of a national cultural monument.

Where exactly is Cyrilka located? The chapel stands right next to the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saints Cyril and Methodius at Velehrad, one of Moravia's main pilgrimage centers.