Anglican Church in Mariánské Lázně

The Anglican Church (Christ Church) in Mariánské Lázně is a listed building. The Romanesque-Neo-gothic single-nave church was built of red brick in 1879. A large eight-part rosette dominates the front of the church. The entrance to the Anglican Church itself is protected by a wide wooden architecturally matched canopy. Round crosses are placed at either opposite end of the steeply pitched tiled roof. The windows were inspired by English Gothic. The area around the church was later landscaped. Of the original interior furnishings of the Anglican Church, unfortunately only the pulpit and a marble plaque from 1911, commemorating the frequent visits of British King Edward VII, have survived.

Anglican Church - history of building

The construction of the English country church was initiated and financially supported by the English guests of Mariánské Lázně in the 1870s with their voluntary collections. The building was a complete rarity in the then Austro-Hungarian Empire, as there were no believers of that religion in Bohemia. An important donor was an Englishwoman Mrs. Anne Scott of Rodono from Selkirkshire. She supported the building of the Anglican Church with 1,200 pounds sterling (12,000 gold pieces). She wanted to honour the memory of her husband, John Scott of Rodono, who had been treated there and who died in spa house Paris in Marianske Lazne, in 1867.

Building of the Anglican Church

The building plan for the Anglican Church was drawn up by William Burghes, a prominent London architect of the Victorian era. Burghes also designed a similar church in Fleet, Hampshire. The land for the church was provided free of charge by the Premonstratensian monastery in Teplá. The mayor of the town, Dr. August Herzig, asked the local builder Friedrich Zickler to build the church according to Burghes´ plan. The actual construction of the Anglican Church began in early 1878. By mid-May of that year, the building was standing up to the roof. However, work on the church had to be suspended during the spa season. The church was completed in the spring of 1879.

Consecration of the Anglican Church

The actual consecration of the church was preceded by very long and unpleasant negotiations. The bishop and other representatives of the church refused to come until the property rights were settled. In order not to delay the consecration any longer, Mayor Herzig had himself registered as the owner of the church. The Anglican Church in Mariánské Lázně was consecrated on 15 July 1879 by Lord Bishop von Bath. The church was dedicated to Jesus Christ ("Christ Church").

Anglican Church - interior

The Anglican Church achieved its greatest fame during the visits of King Edward VII of England, who visited Mariánské Lázně a total of nine times (between 1897 and 1909). The King regularly attended services here. Shortly after the death of King Edward VII, in 1911, a commemorative plaque with a sculpture of the king and his personal dates was unveiled on the west wall of the Anglican Church in the circle of a floral wreath with the royal crown (* 9 November 1841, † 6 May 1910):

„TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND TO THE BELOVED MEMORY OF
EDWARD VII.
BY THE GRACE OF GOD OF THE UNITED
KINGDOM AND OF THE BRITISH DOMINIONS
BEYOND RHE SEAS KING,
DEFENDER OF THE FAITH EMPEROR
OF INDIA AND SOVEREIGN OF
THE MOST NOBLE ORDER
OF THE GARTER“

The memorial plaque was renovated in 1992 during the reconstruction of the Anglican Church by the local academic sculptor Mr. Vítězslav Eibel.

During the First World War the bronze bell was removed from the church. After the war it was reinstalled and the whole interior of the church was renovated.

Sadly, in 1973, a plaque commemorating the church´s founder, Mrs. Anne Scott of Rodono, was stolen from the church. The plaque was located near the entrance to the church. The memorial plaque at the first pew where King Edward VII used to sit during services was also stolen.

In the colourful mosaics of the windows with scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, the names of the donors were mentioned.

Ownership and management relations

After the death of the mayor Dr. Herzig, his son JUDr. August Herzig was entrusted with the administration of the Anglican Church. The owner of the church at that time was the London S.P.G. (Society for the Propagation of the Anglican Faith Abroad).

After the Second World War nobody cared much about the church. The church was closed, but on November 8, 1973, the door was forced open and two plaques were stolen from the church. Soon after the church was closed, the doors were permanently damaged, the original organ, the church pews were broken and dismantled, and eventually the mosaic windows were broken. Before 1980, someone removed the entire original decorative canopy in front of the church entrance. Looting of the Anglican Church continued into the 1990s.

For many years, neither the original owner (an English company) nor the town of Mariánské Lázně, which had no evidence that it owned the Anglican Church, claimed ownership of the Anglican Church. After these long-standing unclear ownership relations were resolved, the exterior and interior of the church were comprehensively renovated in 1993-1994.

Anglican Church today

Today the official owner of the Anglican Church is the town of Mariánské Lázně. The Anglican Church is mainly used as a concert and exhibition hall. It is also the venue for ceremonies welcoming new Marianske Lazne citizens. The atmosphere inside this cultural monument is unrepeatable. It is therefore also possible to hold a romantic wedding ceremony in the beautiful premises of the Anglican Church.