The chapel of the Chamber designed by Pleskot is practically completed

MP Helena Langšádlová

Prague - Soon, MPs will have a space for reflection directly within the Chamber. This will be made possible by a chapel designed by the respected architect Josef Pleskot, which is essentially complete. It could be opened in a few weeks. According to information from the parliamentary press department, the cost of creating the chapel will be around 1.5 million crowns.

The possibility of establishing a chapel in the lower house has been discussed for several years, and now these considerations are coming to fruition. MP Helena Langšádlová (TOP 09), who came up with the idea, noted that the Chamber already has a library and several restaurants. "I believe that a person has all dimensions, including spiritual," she told ČTK today.

The chapel was created from a former changing room in the palace adjacent to Malostranské náměstí. The space is simple. The main objects will be a large round table with a section and a cross, which will be loaned to the Chamber by the National Gallery. There will be a bench against one wall. The entrance consists of a light corridor that is intended to represent the transition from the civil to the spiritual environment.

"It is a Christian chapel, but there are also Jewish elements," Langšádlová outlined. According to her, the space is meant to symbolize that European civilization is based on Judeo-Christian foundations.

The opening of the chapel is expected at the end of January or in February. The ceremony should be attended by members of the leadership of the lower house as well as Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka, the chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches Daniel Fajfr, and the Chief Rabbi of Prague David Peter.

Chapel or spiritual places for prayer are present in most renowned world parliaments, such as the British House of Commons, the German Bundestag, the Polish Sejm, the Swedish Riksdag, and the Israeli Knesset.