The church in Resslova Street — community, refuge and final battle

From Saint Charles Borromeo’s church to an Orthodox cathedral

18th century–1935

A new dedication gave the former church a place in Czech Orthodox life.

The building was erected in the eighteenth century as the Catholic Church of Saint Charles Borromeo. After its closure and deconsecration in 1783, it served as a warehouse. The Czech Orthodox Church obtained it in 1933 and adapted it for worship. Bishop Gorazd consecrated it to Saints Cyril and Methodius on 28 September 1935.

Seven men in one refuge

28 May–early June 1942

The refuge developed gradually through links between resistance members and the church community.

Jan Sonnevend and Petr Fafek helped establish contact between Jan Zelenka-Hajský and chaplain Vladimír Petřek. On the first evening after the attack, Petřek received Jaroslav Švarc. Others arrived in stages, eventually bringing together Kubiš, Gabčík, Opálka, Valčík, Bublík, Hrubý and Švarc. Reconstructions differ on the arrival order; what matters is that seven men gradually gathered here.

Supplies and the search for another refuge

late May–17 June 1942

Daily help required ration coupons, couriers and trust.

Zelenka, Petřek, the Moravec and Fafek families and others provided food and messages. The wanted men lacked official residence registration and ration coupons, making even ordinary provisioning dangerous. Petřek also sought other safe apartments: the crypt was not meant as a permanent solution.

From denunciation to discovery

16–17 June 1942

Čurda identified helpers he knew; further investigation exposed the crypt.

Karel Čurda presented himself to the Gestapo at Petschek Palace on 16 June. His testimony led investigators to domestic supporters. Only the subsequent arrests and brutal interrogations, particularly that of Vlastimil Moravec, led to the church. Čurda himself did not know where the crypt was.

Fighting in the gallery and crypt

18 June 1942

The seven men resisted in separate parts of the church.

Opálka, Bublík and Kubiš fought in the gallery. Kubiš died after being taken away. Sources differ on Bublík: Atentát says he died from a self-inflicted wound in the gallery, while the VHÚ exhibition places his death after removal. They agree that he died on 18 June following the battle.

Gabčík, Valčík, Švarc and Hrubý defended the crypt. The attackers used grenades and water and attempted to force another entrance. When escape was no longer possible, the four men took their own lives.

Punishment for the helpers and the church

June–September 1942

Executions and a ban on the church followed the assault.

The Gestapo arrested chaplain Petřek, priest Václav Čikl, Jan Sonnevend and Bishop Gorazd. All were sentenced to death on 3 September. Jindra’s study dates the executions of Gorazd, Čikl and Sonnevend at Kobylisy to 4 September, and Petřek’s to the next day. The Prague 2 encyclopaedia instead gives 5 September for Čikl; this discrepancy remains unresolved. The occupation authorities banned the Czech Orthodox Church and confiscated its property.

A place of worship and remembrance

1945–present

The restored church also began preserving the memory of those who died.

After liberation, the church and crypt were reconsecrated, with a service held in the church again in May 1945. A memorial plaque above the crypt window was unveiled in 1947. The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror has operated here since 1995. Visitors enter both a living church and a place commemorating resistance and its victims.