Bethlehem Chapel
The pulpit where Jan Hus preached in Czech — and the Pope ordered torn down.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Prague offline.
Founded in 1391 to preach exclusively in the Czech vernacular, breaking German dominance over Bohemian church life. It held 3,000 people while technically remaining a "chapel," with the neighboring parish paid 90 grossi to tolerate the encroachment. When Hus was excommunicated in 1412, Prague's Old Town council rejected the papal demolition order outright. What stands is largely a communist-era restoration, but original medieval masonry still frames the space.
What to look for
- Original medieval exterior walls and a surviving fragment of the pulpit — the oldest fabric in the building
- Wall paintings from Hus's time, with text from De sex erroribus contrasting Christ's poverty against the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church
- The scale of the nave: designed for 3,000 worshippers, yet never officially called a church
In Old Town Prague, a short walk south of Old Town Square on Betlémské náměstí; open as a cultural monument.
Bethlehem Chapel is one of 36 sights worth the detour in Prague, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Prague pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Prague
- Prague CastleThe Guinness-record largest ancient castle on Earth — and the Czech president still works inside it.
- Charles BridgeCzech legend holds that Charles IV chose his construction start time — 5:31am on 9 July 1357 — because the digits form a palindrome he believed would imbue the bridge with additional strength.
- St. Vitus CathedralOne theory holds that the founding duke may have chosen St. Vitus partly because his name echoes a Slavic sun god — making conversion easier for a populace already devoted to the solar deity Svantevit. Christian and pagan communities shared this hilltop until at least the 11th century.
- Dancing HouseTwo interlocked towers shaped like mid-dance partners, built on a Vltava riverfront plot that sat bombed-out and derelict for decades.
- Prague Astronomical ClockEvery hour, a skeleton marks the time — on a clock mechanism that has been running since 1410.
- National Museum in PragueThe building that closes off Wenceslas Square has anchored Czech protests, rallies, and public life since 1891.