Church of St. Vincent de Paul
The unusual neo-romanesque Church of St. Vincent de Paul is situated in the Liberec suburb of Perštýn.
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Web:liberec.casd.cz/A remarkable church
The neo-Romanesque church was built between 1884 and 1887; it was designed by the Viennese architects R. Jordan and J. Schmalzhofer, and paid for by Baroness Maria Paulina Liebieg. The church was built as a part of the Vincentinum Hospital District, which included a nursery school, then an asylum for labourers' children, and also the private St. Joseph’s General School. The church is an unusual and eye-catching sight, a combination of red brick and stone. Other interesting features include the decorative cornices, corners and columns made of sandstone imported from Pirna, Germany.
Years of neglect and rescue by the Adventists
The turning point in the church's history came with the expulsion of the German population and the communist coup. After 1945, the church was confiscated by the Czechoslovak Republic and administered by the Liberec Regional National Committee, which planned to set up an observatory there, but this plan never came to fruition. According to the available sources, services were held there until the mid-1950s, when the Sisters of St. Cyril and Methodius, who ran the orphanage in Gollova ulice, were still alive. Following their death, the church began to fall into disrepair and was neglected for a long time. There were thoughts of using it for the TJ Slovan Liberec sports club, which wanted to set up a restaurant there, while another notable suggestion was made by one Mr. Vašátek, who wanted to grow mushrooms in the church cellar. In 1972, the church, by then badly dilapidated, was purchased by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Peculiarities of the church and the Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church saved the church from total destruction and went on to adapt the interior for its own use at the Church’s expense. The present very plain décor in the church is not only down to the fact that the original frescoes were destroyed, but also because Protestants in general tend to be opposed to lavish church decorations. The centre of attention is no longer the altar, but the pulpit. The baptistery can be seen at the back. Adventists only baptise adults who make a conscious and mature decision to join the church. Baptism is performed by immersion in water, so the pool is large enough to take an adult. Another tradition that distinguishes the Adventists from other churches is their day of worship, which is Saturday rather than Sunday.
Consecration
Since the church belonged to the Lazarists, founded by St. Vincent de Paul, the building is named after its patron. St. Vincent de Paul was a French priest, founder of the Lazarist congregation and the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, a reformer of the Catholic Church in France, and one of the founders of modern European charity and care for the poor. Vincent is the patron saint of prisoners, captives and hospitals; his attributes are the sick, bread and a bowl of soup.