Chrám svatého Vladimíra Church

Chrám svatého Vladimíra in Mariánské Lázně presents a unique example of Orthodox sacral architecture in the Czech Republic. It belongs to the so-called spa triangle - a network of Orthodox temples serving Russian visitors in Karlovy Vary, Františkova Lazne and Mariánské Lazne.

The idea of building a Orthodox temple was born in the 19th century, when Russian patients in Mariánské Lázně lázně lacked their own religious place. In 1825, Prince Golicyn devoted funds to the construction, but the plan proved too demanding and the money was used to build another church. With a growing number of Russian guests, services started to take place in the back of the town hall in a portable chapel. The exact beginning of these services is unknown - it is mentioned in 1874, 1880 or 1882. The attempt of 1882 ended in failure when the bank with the funds collected failed.

The turning point came in the '90s. The construction committee had the support of spa doctors who believed that spiritual satisfaction helped physical recovery. The organisation was taken over by Vymar priest Nikolai Nikolaevich Pisarevski, who in 1898 chose the plot and organized the collection. Within one year, sufficient resources were obtained. The cornerstone was laid on July 24, 1900. The building was completed two years later and on 8 July 1902 the temple was dedicated to St. Vladimir.

The project was created by the famous Petrograd architect Nikolaj Vladimirovič Sultanov, a member of the St Petersburg Academy of Arts. The implementation was led by Gustav Wiedermann. The temple has a floor plan with an isosceles cross with rounded ends and is crowned with a turban dome with a gold six-arm cross. The entrance is decorated with the mosaics of St. Vladimir and St. Olga in Nestrov style. Yellow walls are revived by decorative stucco in red fields. There is a bell tower above the entrance; The original bells were recited during the First World War, the new bells were installed here in 1972.

The dominance of the interior is one of the most beautiful iconostats in the Czech Republic. This majolika- iconostas from the end of the 19th century was created in the workshops of the company M. S. Kuznícov in Kuznícov on cooperation of chemists, painters, iconographer, sculptor and skater. The broken iconostas resembles a miniature temple, covered with gold and cobalt. In 1900 he won a prestigious Grand Prix de France award at a world exhibition in Paris. The original gold grate before the iconostas was stolen during World War II.

The temple remains a place of active religious life. Since 1999 it has been led by protojer Mgr. Josef Hauzar. It is open to the public every day and serves the local and wider community. Religious services are held on Sundays and holidays. Visitors are mainly foreign tourists whose temple represents an authentic window into Orthodox culture.