kaple Matky Boží (Mikulášovice) Chapel

The Chapel of Our Lady is located at the upper end of Mikulášovice near the source of the Mikulášovský Brook, in a part of the city originally called Wildes Viertel – Divoká Čtvrť. Its existence is thanks to the bell founder master Nikolaus Pietschmann, who had it built in 1803. Pietschmann was born in 1766 and lived in house number 173, which was demolished after World War II. The reasons that led him to build a chapel dedicated to Our Lady remain unknown.

The original building was simple and modest – wooden, with very small dimensions, equipped with a small wooden altar featuring an image of the Sorrowful Mother of God. According to a register of chapels from 1837, the chapel had no capital for its maintenance, and the Pietschmann family took care of it. Over time, the original wooden structure was replaced by a larger brick chapel. The exact date of this construction is unknown, presumably occurring at some point during the twentieth century.

Like many other chapels in Mikulášovice – such as Balzer's Chapel, Melchior's Chapel, or St. Joseph's Chapel in Mikulášovičky – the Chapel of Our Lady became a victim of the post-World War II era. After the original inhabitants were expelled, no one took care of it. It deteriorated and gradually disappeared until only the remains of the building remained by the end of the twentieth century. Later, only the foundations and a small piece of hanging eaves survived.

The chapel's restoration began in 2014 when the city administration of Mikulášovice initiated negotiations about it. In spring 2015, the Regional Assembly of Ústí Region approved funding from the Program for the Rescue and Restoration of Small Monuments. The construction cost 257,670 koruna; the region contributed 180,000 koruna. Construction work was completed in November 2015, and the following year, the façade, damaged by frost, was repaired. The chapel was consecrated on May 13, 2016, by the local parish administrator.

The new chapel, now the third in its history, was built based on preserved photographs. Its floor plan is rectangular with a segmental end. In the façade, there is an entrance protected by grilles, above which is an empty niche in the pediment. The walls are plain, divided only by narrow white pilasters. The plastering is rough, with a yellow coating. The roof without a tower is covered with slate tiles, and the gables are decorated with small gargoyles. Inside, the floor is paved with granite slabs featuring a cross made of fired bricks in the center. A wooden crucifix with a metal body of Christ and a large wooden cross hanging from the ceiling shape the space.

The chapel is now property of the city of Mikulášovice and is not monument-protected. It is not used for regular services, although once a year it serves as a place of devotion during a novena to the Holy Spirit.