Kaple v Seminářské zahradě

The Chapel in the Seminary Garden (Czech: Kaple v Seminářské zahradě), popularly known as the Chapel of the Infant Jesus (Kaple Jezulátka), is a small round building tucked into the eastern slope of Petřín hill, inside Prague's Seminary Garden in the Malá Strana district. It rarely appears on tourist maps, yet it is one of the few surviving traces of the garden's monastic past.

Where exactly is the chapel located?

The chapel stands in Seminářská zahrada, one of the garden complexes covering roughly seventeen hectares on the eastern slope of Petřín. In the Middle Ages a vineyard occupied the site, founded on the initiative of Emperor Charles IV. In the first half of the 17th century the land was enclosed as a walled garden belonging to the monastery of the Barefoot Carmelites attached to the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana.

Who built it, and when?

The chapel's origins are not fully settled. According to the 19th-century chronicler František Ekert, a hermitage together with a chapel was founded here as early as 1659 by Countess Alžběta Oppersdorfová. The first documented reference to the building, however, only appears in 1769, on the Huber prospect, a panoramic view of Prague. The structure as it stands today is generally associated with the Carmelites' building activity in the 18th century, though sources disagree on whether it dates from the first or second half of that century.

What does the chapel look like?

It is a modest circular building with almost no decoration. The only architectural features are a pair of window openings and an entrance. The roof is topped with a polygonal lantern pierced by small windows that let light into the interior, which is as plain as the exterior — no stucco, no painting, no ornament.

To whom is it dedicated?

The chapel's original dedication is uncertain. Some sources link it to Saint Louis, though this attribution is not firmly established. Today it is usually called the Chapel of the Infant Jesus, a popular name whose connection to any original dedication is not documented.

What happened after the monastery was dissolved?

The Carmelite monastery was abolished in 1786 as part of Emperor Joseph II's church reforms, and the garden passed into the ownership of the archbishop's seminary. The chapel then took on an unexpected new role: it is said to have served as an astronomical observatory, a function still attributed to it in 1903, though no detailed record of any observations survives.

When did the garden open to the public?

In 1927 the garden became the property of the City of Prague, in exchange for land granted to the seminary in Dejvice for a new building. The wall enclosing the garden was removed, and on 1 May 1930 the Seminary Garden opened to the public. Since then the chapel has stood inside an open city park rather than behind the walls of a church property.

Can visitors see the chapel today?

The building has survived in good condition, with its last major restoration carried out in the 1990s. It is preserved and freely accessible to anyone walking through the Seminary Garden, though it hosts no regular religious services or museum programme.

Frequently asked questions

What is the chapel called in Czech? Kaple v Seminářské zahradě, popularly Kaple Jezulátka.

Where is it located? On the eastern slope of Petřín hill, inside the Seminary Garden (Seminářská zahrada) in Prague's Malá Strana district.

When was it built? The exact date is unknown — a hermitage may have existed here from 1659, the first documented mention dates to 1769, and the present structure is linked to 18th-century Carmelite building work.

Who is it dedicated to? The original dedication is uncertain; it is sometimes linked to Saint Louis and is popularly known as the Chapel of the Infant Jesus.

Can it be visited? Yes, it stands in a public park that has been open since 1930.