The Bethlehem Chapel

The Bethlehem Chapel stands in Prague’s Old Town and is closely linked to Jan Hus, the Czech reformer who preached here from 1402 to 1412. Founded as a place for sermons in Czech, it became an important site in the growth of the Hussite movement. Inside, look for the paintings, organ and displays on Hus and the chapel’s history. Its restrained medieval-style interior offers a quieter change from Prague’s more ornate churches. Leaflets in several languages help explain what you are seeing.

Jan Hus and the chapel’s beginnings

The Bethlehem Chapel was founded in 1391 as a place where services could be held in Czech. Sermons in the local language set it apart in a period when German had a strong presence in the Bohemian church. The chapel opened for sermons in 1394.

Jan Hus served here as rector and preacher from 1402 to 1412. His criticism of practices within the Roman Catholic Church brought him into conflict with church authorities. He was executed at Konstanz in 1415. The chapel is closely associated with the beginnings of the Hussite movement, which took root in the Czech lands after his death.

A building changed and restored

The chapel continued in use by Hussites after Hus’s execution. It later passed to the Jesuits during the Thirty Years’ War. The building fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 18th century. It was reconstructed in the 1950s, with the aim of returning it to the state associated with Hus’s time as preacher and rector.

That restoration gives the present-day chapel its historical character, though the building visitors see is a reconstruction rather than an untouched medieval interior. Hus’s house is also preserved at the site. Displays trace the chapel’s story and Hus’s life, giving context to the rooms and their place in Prague’s history.