kaple Panny Marie Pomocné (Zahrady) Chapel

Welcome to the picturesque landscape of the Garden by the Beautiful Lips. You are standing right in front of a remarkable sacral building, which is the Chapel of the Virgin Mary the Helpers, which has long been called the Chapel of the Beggar. Enjoy the quiet moment, take a breath of fresh air from the region and let your thoughts flow for a while with the history that breathes heavily from this place. When you look at the chapel in front of you, you see a late baroque structure with a rectangular ground plan, for which are characterized by interesting cut corners, a semi-circular finish and a distinctive triangle shield in the facade. Perhaps you can think of the story behind this rather modest but very impressive architecture, and who actually stood at the birth of such a work in this remote place.

Let's move on in time to the beginning of the nineteenth century, namely, 1808. Then a new spiritual work began to be born in the place of the original, already decrepit field chapel of St. Erasmus. This whole event is firmly linked to the extraordinary fate of a local beggar and weirdo whose name was Daniel Hieke. It was this man who became the main initiator of the building, based on a deep internal movement. The origin of the chapel is closely related to his dream, in which the Virgin Mary herself appeared to him with an urgent request to build a temple in this place. Hieke did not hesitate, he took this spiritual challenge with great humility and determination for his own, and despite his humble position in society, he managed to move the outside world to grow a new sanctuary. A year later, in 1809, the new chapel was ceremoniously consecrated and served its purpose.

Now pay attention to the construction itself and its architectural details, which are right in front of your eyes. Although the names of the creators or architects who designed this late Baroque building remain unknown to this day, the architectural composition speaks its own language to you. Take a look at the rectangular plan, which is softened by the precisely mentioned cut corners, which provide construction of dynamics and elegance. You can turn your vision towards the end of a building that is semi-circular, and also towards the facade that dominates the triangle shield. The event of 1822, when the tower with the bell was finished, also testifies to how much people cared about this place. A memorial note was deposited in her head.

Throughout the centuries, many human destinies and stories have fought around the chapel. When we say Daniel Hieke, we don't just remember the builder of the temple, but we also remember a man who was denied secrets. One of his biggest weirdness was that he wore a secret iron chain wrapped around his body as a constant penance mark. And it was this heavy iron chain that was symbolically deposited along with the memorial note into the tower's poppy when it was finished in 1822, which brought Hiek's life story and his personal sacrifice together forever with the actual mass of the chapel. Among those who were not indifferent to this place, we must also mention modern characters such as Natalie Belisová or Johann Pohl whose names are associated with the care and interest in this cultural heritage.

An interesting thing that gives the place special and almost tangible tension is the contrast between the humble life of a beggar and the grandeur of his spiritual dream. Daniel Hieke was able to convince his surroundings of the power of vision given to him by the Virgin Mary and left a permanent trail in the landscape. But the chapel didn't just have golden times. After the end of World War II, a period of decline occurred and the chapel had long been decayed, abandoned and issued for the conversion of time and human inattention. Fortunately, the story didn't end sadly. In 2016 the chapel went through the last overall and very thorough reconstruction, during which it was possible to repair damaged plaster, restore the roof, replace and modify the windows and doors. Thanks to this intervention, we can now stand in front of a fixed monument that is once again shining into the landscape.

Before you go on another journey, take a moment of silence and feel the atmosphere of this place. Take a look at the details, let the harmony of shapes affect you, and remember the determination of a man who once believed his dream enough to build a chapel here. Thank you for listening to this story, we hope it has enriched your walk today, and we wish you a happy journey in the further discovery of the beauty of this region. Goodbye.