Bethlehem Chapel of the Czech Technical University

The Bethlehem Chapel is a national cultural monument and the first preaching temple in Europe.
It was founded in 1391 by Prague burghers Jan Kříž and courtier Hanuš of Mühlheim. In the founding charter of 24.5.1391, both donors explicitly stipulated that the chapel should be used for preaching in the Czech language. It was built in the years 1391-1394 and in the years 1402-1413 Master Jan Hus preached here. From the beginning, it was connected with the university. Interest in reform efforts in the church among the bourgeoisie and the progressive directions of the university met in the attic of the Bethlehem Chapel. In the years 1638-1661, the chapel was the property of the university. In 1786, the chapel was mostly demolished, but in the fifties of the 20th century it was reconstructed to approximately its original form according to the project of the architect Fragner using preserved fragments of masonry. In 1987, the chapel was taken over by the Czech Technical University in Prague, which reconstructed it at its own expense and made it open to the public again. On 26.3.1992, the chapel was ceremonially opened. The Bethlehem Chapel became the ceremonial auditorium of the Czech Technical University in connection with university traditions.