Kaple Andělů strážných (Staré Město) Chapel

The Chapel of Guardian Angels in Staré Město u Karviné is a classicist building from the 18th century. In 2006, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic declared it a cultural monument.

The chapel stands alone. It is built of brick and plastered, constructed on a raised foundation. It has a rectangular floor plan that ends with a polygonal choir, and it is covered with a pitched roof. The smooth plaster is articulated by flat vertical strips, called pilasters, which create frames. In the middle of the façade are doors with a semicircular arch, whose surface is filled with a fanlight. On both sides of the doors are niches with small sculptures. Above the doors, in a triangular gable, is another niche with a painting. Behind the gable, in the front part of the roof, sits a polygonal bell turret with arcades. It has an onion-shaped roof, which is topped with a cross. In the middle of both side walls is a slender tall window with a semicircular top.

Inside, the walls have new paintwork, during which the original frescoes were preserved. The walls transition with a rounded groove into a flat ceiling. The main altar dates from the end of the 19th century. It combines neoclassical elements with details of neo-baroque classicism. On the wooden altar table stands an altarpiece with consoles. It contains a painting of the Archangel Raphael with the young Tobias. In the gable of the altarpiece is a copy of the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The altar is four and a half meters high, two meters and fifteen centimeters wide, and measures thirty-five centimeters in depth.

In 2021, a complete renovation of the chapel was completed. The area is undermined by mining, so it was necessary to reinforce the building. The foundations were drained and reinforced with a reinforced concrete ring beam. The outer walls were strengthened by a structure made of stainless steel rods. Originally, there was a concrete staircase leading to the entrance with three flights, covered with a sheet metal roof. This was replaced by a new stone staircase with five steps and new railings. Instead of the sheet metal roof, there is now a fully glass awning suspended above the entrance. The interior was repainted during the renovation while the original frescoes were preserved.