One of the places of worship of the Polish and Czech saint Jan Sarkander (1576-1620) is the chapel dedicated to the martyr in Olomouc, located in the picturesque surroundings of Palacký University. The shrine is located on the site of the former prison where the saint was held and tortured in 1620.

History of the origin and description of the chapel

Part of the buildings of the city prison was converted into a chapel between 1672 and 1673. In the early 18th century, an above-ground chapel dedicated to the Holy Martyrs was built over it. Although the official name of the chapel referred to a number of martyrs, from the beginning it served primarily the cult of St John Sarkander, and the anniversary of his death was celebrated here every year.

The beatification of Jan Sarkander in 1860 provided the impetus for another reconstruction of the chapel. Between 1908 and 1912, a new neo-Baroque church was built, designed by the Czech architect Eduard Sochor. This temple was dedicated to St John Sarkander from the beginning. Its construction is based on the underground elements of the earlier foundation. A two-storey building with a square nave covered by an elliptical dome topped by a lantern was erected above the former underground. A rectangular vestibule and semicircular apse complete the structure.

The importance of light in the architecture of the building

In June before noon, i.e. at the time when the Eucharistic liturgy reaches its climax, the sun's rays enter the chapel through the windows and the lantern cylinder in the nave, illuminating the rooms in turn. They first fall into the interior of the nave and then, through a circular opening in the nave floor, reach the basement - the space of the former prison, at the heart of which objects related to the saint's death have been set up, including a violin - a torture wheel used for impalement. This use of sunlight required the designers to have a deep knowledge of astronomy, construction and the Christian tradition, in which light has been identified with God since the first century. The location of the altar in the shaded apse and the placement of the oculus and relics in the centre of the foundation were carefully planned to enhance the ephemeral experience of the faithful during the liturgy.

Images of St John Sarkander

The vaulting of the apse is decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. John Sarkander (including, among others, the scene of the Holešov procession, imprisonment and torture) by Czech painters Jakub Obrovský and Jan Köhler. Outside the church, in one of the niches, there is a statue of a Czech priest. St John Sarkander is depicted in a cassock, with a biretta on his head, a book and a scourging rod in his hand.