Sbor Mistra Jakoubka ze Stříbra Church

The Mistra Jakoubka ze Stříbra Chapel belongs to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. The functionalist and constructivist building was designed by architect Stanislav Vachata. It stands in the quiet part of Březové Hory, surrounded by tall trees.

The name commemorates a collaborator and successor of Master Jan Hus, who promoted receiving communion in both kinds, that is, with bread and wine. The naming was suggested by Professor František Kalous, the first clergyman of this chapel, who greatly contributed to the construction of the church as well.

The building was constructed quickly. The foundations began being dug on May 11th, 1936, and the foundation stones were laid on May 24th. Already on July 26th, three bells from the Herold company rang for the first time, named Hus, Masaryk, and Farský. They were dedicated to those who fell in the First World War. The dominant feature is a white thirty-meter tower with a double-armed cross and a viewing gallery, completed in September. The chapel was solemnly opened on October 25th, 1936 in the presence of Patriarch Gustav Adolf Procházka. During the Second World War, the Nazis confiscated the Hus and Masaryk bells for the weapons industry and destroyed them. Only the Farský bell has served until today.

In the chancel is a large luminous cross. It rests on stones from the Hussite Tábor, from the upper town of Stříbra, and from the Vojtěšský mine in Příbram, where the stone was extracted from a depth of 1000 meters. On the altar stands a candelabra in the form of clasped hands above Říp mountain with the inscription Prayer for our homeland.

On the sides of the chancel are reliefs by sculptor Václav Šáry. One depicts Master Jakoubka receiving communion with the chalice, the other the Last Supper with likenesses of František Kalous and his loved ones. Below them are two reliefs by Václav Antoš, The Crying of Exiles after White Mountain with Jan Amos Comenius, and The Joy of Liberation on October 28th, 1918 with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. This is followed by Comenius's prophecy about the return of power to the Czech people. In the corners stand sculptures representing Work, Love, and Freedom. They depict a miner with a legionnaire, a student couple from the work of Alois Jirásek, and presidents Masaryk and Beneš. All the decoration is original and has survived both the occupation and the communist regime.

According to the church's founders, the chapel should be a cozy room for a family, without excessive ornament. Karel Farský summed this up in saying that a priest is a brother to all present.

Besides services, exhibitions and cultural and educational events take place here. The Chamber Choir of Mistra Jakoubka ze Stříbra performs here, also called the Jakoubci. Throughout the year, a mining nativity scene is on display here. The building includes a columbarium with the ashes of the deceased regardless of their faith.