Prison Chapel of the Žerotín Chateau in Valašské Meziříčí

An opening ceremony was held for the reconstructed prison chapel in the rear courtyard of Žerotín Chateau in Valašské Meziříčí.

In 1611, Jetřich of Žerotín ordered the construction of a grand Renaissance building that served as a horse-riding school. Following the defeat of the Czech estates’ army in 1621, the building was confiscated, and from 1628 it served as a warehouse. During the Napoleonic wars, the army established a hospital for wounded soldiers here.

Between 1855 and 1908, the hospital was transformed into a prison chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The main heroine of the play Maryša by the Mrštík brothers supposedly served a sentence among the convicts of the women’s prison. The chapel, together with Žerotín Chateau, the Baroque granary and farm outbuildings, now forms the unique chateau complex.

The chapel now serves as a centre for cultural, social and educational activities.