kostel svatých Cyrila a Metoděje (Bratřejov) Church

The Church of Saint Cyril and Methodius in Bratřejov was built between 1871 and 1890 in the neo-Gothic style. It is the landmark of the village and, together with the rectory and the neighboring cemetery, forms a sacred precinct. It has been a cultural monument since 2007.

Previously, local parishioners had to travel to Vizovice to attend Mass at the Church of Saint Lawrence. Around 1870, the Vizovice parish priest and dean Jan Bartoš decided to build a church directly in Bratřejov. The owner of the Vizovice estate, Baron Filip Stillfried, wanted only a wooden structure, but Bartoš insisted on stone. Without the baron's support, he therefore announced the first appeal for donations in 1870. However, he started the collection without the knowledge of the authorities and had to pay a fine of 10 florins. Before he could continue, he had to arrange all the necessary permits. His brother František helped him with the organization. He was skilled in accounting and recorded every donation received.

At the beginning of the construction, over 100 letters of petition were sent out daily from the Vizovice rectory. Bartoš had collection sheets printed in the Moravian Eagle and in Viennese newspapers. Many priests celebrated Masses free of charge and donated the money they would have received to the construction. Every donor received a pre-printed thank-you note with an image of the future church. Emperor Francis Joseph I was also among the donors.

The construction was designed by the architect Michal Urbánek from Vsetín, and the foundation stone was laid on October 22, 1871. Workers transported stones from the Bratřejov hills called Na lozách and processed them by hand. A total of 295,000 bricks were used, some baked on site, some in Vizovice and Želechovice. The most difficult part of the work was completed at the beginning of 1883, when the rectory, church, and farm buildings were standing. The flooring, altars, organ, interior painting, pews, statues, and bells still remained to be done, so the church was not completed until 1890. The costs exceeded 100,000 florins. The church was consecrated on October 22, 1890 by the Brno bishop František Saleský Bauer. The first parish priest was Antonín Sopůch, who is buried in the local cemetery.

The church is single-aisled, oriented towards the east by the altar, with a five-sided presbytery and a tower. The total height of the structure is 40.5 meters. The exterior and interior have been preserved in their original form, including the furnishings and decorative and figurative paintings. A four-story prismatic tower, made entirely of stone, is attached to the façade. The main entrance in its axis is protected by a roof between two buttresses topped with finials. Above the door is a rose window and the inscription Peace be with you, complemented by small angel statues.