History of the project

The history of the first phase of the project focuses on the steps taken to remove moisture from the foundations of Our Lady Help of Christians Church, whose foundation stone was laid in 1936. More information about the history of the church can be found in newspaper articles from the time of its construction and in the Photodocumentation in the Malečov Region - History project, in the Čeřeniště section.

The project to remove moisture from the church foundation was successfully completed after almost 4 years of effort with a small celebration on 4 May 2024 (see the bottom of this page).

However, the "Church of the Root" project does not end with the foundation modification. It will continue with the second stage, namely the repair of the facade. For more details, see Facade: History of the project.

18 August 2020 – Meeting at the construction site

Participants: Bishopric of Litoměřice: dean Havelka, construction engineer Fiedler; Malečovský rozhled association: Petr; Čeřeniště Patriots association: Antoš; construction company Hart Kubota: Hart.

Conclusions: The Malečovský rozhled association will be authorized by the church representative to discuss the project documentation with the state administration authorities. The next meeting will take place in the presence of the structural engineer and the designer.

17 September 2020 – Meeting at the construction site

Participants: Bishopric of Litoměřice: dean Havelka, construction engineer Fiedler, Malečovský rozhled association: Petr, Čeřeniště Patriots association: Antoš; construction company Hart Kubota: Hart; structural engineer: Starý; designer: Pechek.

Conclusions: The Malečovský rozhled association has received authorization to discuss the project documentation with the state administration authorities. The structural engineer will prepare a short report confirming that the church’s structure, including the entrance, is stable and will probably not require special interventions. The designer will need a survey of the existing condition and the excavation of two probes along the perimeter wall to determine the depth and composition of the foundations (responsibility: Petr).

5 October 2020 – Preliminary static assessment

Preliminary static assessment prepared by Ing. Otakar Starý.

16 October 2020 – Excavation of probes

Excavation work was carried out by Vladimír Břehovský from Tašov (see Photo Gallery).

23 October 2020 – Survey of the existing condition

Geodetic work was carried out by Michal Radina from Atlas Group, s. r. o.

November 2020 – January 2021

P. K. I. PROJEKT, s. r. o., represented by Ing. Jan Pechek, prepared complete documentation, including the conclusions of another structural engineer’s report, this time focused on securing the foundations. The findings emerged after the foundations were exposed during the excavation of probes. Subsequently, the project will be discussed with the concerned state authorities.

15 February 2021 – Meeting at the Bishopric of Litoměřice

Participants: Bishopric of Litoměřice: dean Havelka, construction engineer Fiedler, Malečovský rozhled association: Petr.

Conclusions: The association and the bishopric will attempt to secure half of the necessary funds, while the other half could be covered by the Czech-German Future Fund or by European or national grants. The next meeting on this topic will take place in April 2021.

January – February 2021

The opinions of the Department of Planning and Building Regulations - Heritage Conservation of the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem (coordinated with the National Heritage Institute in Ústí nad Labem) and ČEZ were obtained.

16 March 2021 – Notification of the construction

A construction notification was submitted to the Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem.

23 March 2021 – Invitation from the Department of Planning and Building Regulations

The Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem issued a request for the builder to address submission deficiencies within 30 days.

April 2021

To fulfill the department’s request, consent was obtained from the owner of the existing storm sewer system to connect new pipelines. Additionally, a new opinion was secured from the Department of Planning and Building Regulations - Heritage Protection of the Ústí nad Labem City Council (coordinated with the National Heritage Institute in Ústí nad Labem), along with an opinion from the Department of Environment of the Ústí nad Labem City Council and the North Bohemian Water Supply and Sewerage Company.

3 May 2021 – Meeting at the Bishopric of Litoměřice

Participants: Bishopric of Litoměřice: dean Havelka, construction engineer Fiedler, Malečovský rozhled association: Petr.

Conclusions: The funding possibilities were clarified on behalf of the Association and the Diocese. Among other things, the possibility of obtaining subsidies through the Local Action Group Labské skály was discussed.

31 May 2021 – Notification from the Department of Planning and Building Regulations

The Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem issued a notice of the commencement of joint planning and building proceedings. The concerned authorities may submit binding opinions, and the involved parties may raise objections within 15 days of receiving the notice.

26 July 2021 – Approval of the construction plan

The Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem issued a decision on 26 July 2021 approving the building plan for the "Church of Čeřeniště - Dehumidification of Foundation Parts."

1 September 2021 – Building Permit

The Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the Municipality of Ústí nad Labem issued a building permit on 1 September 2021.

6. a 15. 11. 2023 - payments

According to the previous agreement, the association transferred a donation of CZK 222,848 to the parish account on 6 November 2023. Subsequently, the parish paid the invoice in full to the contractor on 15 November 2023, amounting to CZK 1,689,238.32.

20. 11. 2023 - approval for building permit

On 21 November 2023, the Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the Ústí nad Labem City Council issued the approval for the building. This was preceded by securing the opinion of the Department of the Environment and the Department of Conservation. A Construction Log Book was also supplied with the confirmation of a duly authorised Building Manager. Due to the nature of the building, an on-site investigation was deemed unnecessary.

23. 11. 2023 - checking the application for payment of the subsidy

On 23 November 2023, the association submitted the application for payment of the subsidy, along with the necessary annexes, to the LAG Labská skály for review. Within the next 14 days, LAG Labské skály will conduct an administrative check before forwarding the application directly to SZIF.

4. 12. 2023 - request for payment of subsidy

The administrative check by LAG Labská skály was completed without any objections. Therefore, on 4 December 2023, the application for payment of the subsidy was officially submitted to SZIF. If the process at SZIF proceeds smoothly, the subsidy of CZK 1,351,390 will be transferred to the account of the Roman Catholic Parish of Proboštov during the first quarter of 2024.

4. 5. 2024 - Mass and Thanksgiving

A Mass is scheduled for 3 p.m. on this day, to which all donors, kindred spirits, and supporters will be invited. After the Mass, there will be an official thank-you to all those who contributed in any way to the completion of this project to dehumidify the church foundation. The women's choir Cantica Bohemica will follow. Those interested will then proceed to the renovated Babina III chapel, where Dean Karel Havelka will bless it. After returning from the chapel, everyone will gather again for refreshments. Program - see attached invitation. We have a lot to look forward to, come join us!

4. 5. 2024 - Small Celebration

Starting from 2:30 p.m., the first participants of the small celebration began to arrive. The church was clean and tidy, adorned with beautiful floral decorations by Iva Lukešová. The Lukeš family also set up an improvised table in front of the church, where drink containers were placed. The lovingly prepared treats brought by locals (Pilník, Kovařík, Havránková, Ježek, Lukeš, Budělov, Petra) were "stored" in the confessional inside the church during the Mass. The weather outside was beautiful and sunny.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the chairman of the association thanked all donors and briefly mentioned the progress of the "Čeřeniště Church - Dehumidification of Foundation Parts" project. The Mass, led by Dean Karel Havelka, was dedicated to the Virgin Mary as part of her May festivities. Additionally, the church is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians.

Following the Mass, the women's vocal ensemble Cantica Bohemica, directed by choirmaster Dominika Valešková, performed. The singing from the choir loft descended upon the more than fifty attendees, enchanting them. The voices, combined with the sunlight filtering through the yellow-tinted glass panes, created an angelic atmosphere. It was wonderful… After a while, the attendees gathered in front of the church, where refreshments were already prepared. People enjoyed and praised the treats while having a great time. The beautiful weather contributed to an extraordinary experience.

After some time, about half of the participants set off on foot towards the chapel. More about its blessing can be found HERE.

The small ceremony also confirmed the cooperation between the Roman Catholic Parish of Proboštov and the association on the second stage of the church repair, which will focus on repairing the facade.