kaple svatého Václava v Kudlově Chapel

The chapel of St. Wenceslas is located in the Zlín local part Kudlov and represents an interesting example of functionalist sacral architecture. It was built in the years 1927-1929 according to designs by architect František Lydia Gahura, who at that time worked for the construction company Bata. The construction has been declared a cultural monument since 1958.

The creation of the chapel was a process that durал for several years. Kudlov originally belonged to the Zlín parish, and local citizens have been collecting funds to build their own chapel for a long time. A major turnaround came in 1927 when the foundation of the husbands Anna and Josef Procházková was created, who devoted a considerable amount to the construction of 600 crowns. The Bata machinery industry contributed 16,000 bricks from its Zlín brick. The building plot was dedicated to Aloisie and Rudolf Vavrushu's husbands, the sand was provided by the mayor of the nearby Prštný Ignác Šáasta and local forest owners contributed to the construction wood. The architect František Lýdie Gahura himself, who was also a citizen of the village, made plans and budgets free of charge. Although the principle of maximum financial austerity was the main limitation, the total cost amounted to CZK 30,000 (without the value of the donated material). The construction was commissioned to the local builder Josef Jarcovák and the construction lasted less than a year. The chapel was consecrated on 22 September 1929 and performed by Monsignor Antonín Koblih, the vicar at the Olomouc House. The godfather became Marie Baťová, wife of industrialist Thomas Bata.

The name of the chapel to St. Wenceslas was probably chosen to commemorate the thousand anniversary of the torture of the patron of the Czech lands who died in 929.

The chapel is built on the ground plan of the Greek cross with approximate dimensions of 7 × 7 × 7 meters. Its distinctive appearance is determined by the uncovered brick, which also created the scale of all elements of the construction. On all sides, groups of three narrow, oblong window openings are inserted into the facade. The only asymmetry of external appearance is the bell tower from the left corner. The ground was originally marked by a metal fence separating a staircase from the road. The stone cross with Christ was later transferred from another part of the village and located in the northwest corner. The input is covered by concrete parapets carried on metal columns.

The interior was originally dominated by a brick and fresh light passing through slender windows. The altar consisted of two stone plates - granite altar table and sandstone column - in the form of a Greek cross. Above the mensou was planted a box of a shrine with brass relief over which the brass sculpture of Christ's torture stood. The ceiling was geometrically shaped from painted boards. Today's interior is not very similar to its original appearance. In the last modification made by Miroslav Kováč before 2020, there was an exchange of benches, carpets, a new neutral white painting and installation of modern altar and ambo. So the skeleton now serves as a living space for parishioners, even if its appearance was distant from the original idea of minimalism and functionalist purity.