Church of Saint John of Nepomuk

The Church of St. John of Nepomuk in Plzeň is one of the city's most recognizable religious landmarks, standing out thanks to its twin 63-metre towers topped with gilded crosses. This Roman Catholic church is located south of the Old Town, in the Plzeň 3 district, on Chodské náměstí square, close to the Secondary Industrial School. Since 2017 the parish has been run by the Pauline Fathers, who took over from the Redemptorists that had served the congregation before them.

When was the church built?

The idea for the church came from the Redemptorist order, which settled in Plzeň in the early 20th century and drew up plans for a new place of worship to serve the city's growing industrial district. The cornerstone was laid in 1910, on the feast day of the church's patron saint, and construction was carried out by a local building firm. The church was completed and consecrated in 1911. The neo-Romanesque design came from architects Jan Svoboda and František Stalmach, giving the building the austere, brick-clad look typical of Czech religious architecture from that era.

What does the church's architecture look like?

The church is a three-nave building roughly 50 metres long and houses four bells. Its most striking feature remains the pair of 63-metre towers, whose slender silhouettes are visible from many points across Plzeň. The gilded crosses at their tips catch the sunlight, making the church a clear landmark for anyone navigating the area around Chodské náměstí.

What stands next to the church?

Several decades after the church itself was finished, a monastery building was added alongside it in the 1930s. That structure now serves a very different purpose than originally intended — it is used by the Czech police, an interesting example of former religious buildings being repurposed for civic administration.

What is the history of the parish?

After decades of Redemptorist care, 2017 brought a change of religious order at the church: the Pauline Fathers, best known internationally for the Jasna Góra monastery in Poland, took over pastoral responsibility. This is a relatively recent chapter in the church's story, one that continues an unbroken line of religious life at this site stretching back more than a century.

Why is this church worth visiting?

The Church of St. John of Nepomuk is a solid example of early 20th-century sacred architecture that has weathered the region's turbulent history, including the final days of the Second World War, when events unfolded right on the adjoining Chodské náměstí in May 1945. Today the building offers a quiet counterpoint to the bustle of the city square and remains an active place of worship.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? The church stands in the Plzeň 3 district, south of the Old Town, on Chodské náměstí square, near the Secondary Industrial School. Its coordinates are 49.7384, 13.3714.

Who runs the church today? Since 2017 the parish has been administered by the Pauline Fathers, who replaced the Redemptorists that served here previously.

How old is the church? It was built in 1911, making it over a century old.

What is the church's most distinctive architectural feature? Its twin 63-metre towers, capped with gilded crosses, visible from a considerable distance in this part of Plzeň.

Is there anything else to see nearby? Yes — a former monastery building erected in the 1930s stands next to the church and is now used by the Czech police.