The bishopric announced a competition for a church for the Brno-Lesná housing estate

Brno - The Brno Bishopric has announced an architectural competition for the construction of a church in the Brno housing estate district of Lesná. For decades, hundreds of local believers have been lacking a temple. Eight years ago, an independent parish was established in Lesná, which is located in a newly built spiritual center. However, its capacity has long been insufficient for the believers. The church will be built adjacent to the spiritual center, most likely connected to it. Pavel Hověz, the pastor from Lesná, told ČTK.
     The spiritual center is named after the Brno Jesuit Martin Středa and the blessed nun Maria Restituta. The bishopric intends to dedicate the church to Maria Restituta, a native of Brno, who was executed by the Nazis during World War II. According to the bishopric spokesperson Martina Jandlová, it is not yet possible to predict when construction will begin and how much it will cost. "The deadline for submitting competition proposals is set for June 12, 2012," Jandlová said.
    According to an older study, the new church would cost about 37 million crowns. Hověz stated that estimates from architects vary. Generally, they range in the order of tens of millions of crowns. "It will depend on what proposals are submitted in the competition and which one will ultimately be selected," said Hověz. The current spiritual center's hall will continue to be used by the parish for concerts, lectures, and other gatherings of believers. Masses will move to the church.
     The Lesná housing estate was established in the 1960s. Unlike other panel housing estates, Lesná is surrounded by greenery, and its urban concept is praised by contemporary architects. As early as 1968, local believers began calling for the construction of a church. However, normalization did not favor new sacred buildings.
     The austere new building of the spiritual center has been used by people in Lesná since 2004. In addition to the pastor, a pastoral assistant and a deacon also work here. Besides regular masses, the center hosts various spiritual, cultural, and social events. "About 560 people regularly attend Sunday masses, and additional believers come throughout the week," Hověz stated.