"Where Bohemian earth yields sacred water beneath a saint's watchful gaze"
Chapel and wellspring of St. Adalbert
Bylany, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic
In open fields between two Czech villages, a small 19th-century chapel shelters a spring that has flowed since before memory. Dedicated to St. Adalbert, patron saint of Bohemia who traversed these lands a millennium ago, the site holds centuries of pilgrimage in quiet continuity. Visitors stand on ancient stone to draw water that once sustained a medieval city.
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Quick Facts
Location
Bylany, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
49.9440, 15.2320
Last Updated
Jan 8, 2026
The Chapel and Wellspring of St. Adalbert connects multiple historical threads: the ancient tradition of sacred springs, the legacy of St. Adalbert (patron saint of Bohemia, martyred 997), and the practical history of medieval Kutna Hora's water supply. The current chapel dates from circa 1892, but the spring's veneration and the baroque statue within are considerably older, reaching back through centuries of continuous use.
Origin Story
According to tradition, St. Adalbert could summon springs by striking the ground with his bishop's staff. Churches and chapels were built at such places throughout Bohemia. The spring at Bylany, however, likely predates any such miracle. It emerges from earth that has yielded water since before human memory, and its sanctity may trace to pre-Christian peoples who recognized something worthy of reverence in this place.
The Christian dedication to St. Adalbert represents a consecration of an already sacred site. This pattern repeats throughout Europe: holy wells that bear saints' names often began as pagan sacred springs, their essential character preserved while their meaning was reframed. The genius of such transitions lies in their acknowledgment that the land itself holds something worth honoring.
Medieval Kutna Hora, grown wealthy from silver mining, needed this spring for simpler reasons. In the 15th century, engineers constructed a wooden aqueduct to carry water 2.5 kilometers to the city center. For four centuries, until 1890, the spring that pilgrims visited for spiritual blessing also provided the drinking water that sustained daily life. Sacred and practical were not separate categories.
Key Figures
St. Adalbert of Prague
Svatý Vojtěch
saint
Born circa 956 as Vojtěch to the powerful Slavnik dynasty in Libice nad Cidlinou, he became the second Bishop of Prague. His missionary work extended to Hungary, Poland, and Prussia, where he was martyred on April 23, 997, near Truso (modern-day Elblag, Poland). Canonized in 999 by Pope Sylvester II, he became one of the patron saints of the Czech Republic, alongside St. Wenceslas. His feast day is April 23.
Spiritual Lineage
The spring has served successive communities across perhaps millennia: pre-Christian peoples whose names and practices are lost, medieval Catholics who consecrated it to St. Adalbert, the citizens of Kutna Hora who depended on its water for daily survival, and contemporary visitors who continue to draw from its source. The baroque statue dates from the first half of the 18th century, testifying to formal veneration during that period. The current chapel, built circa 1892 as the medieval water system was discontinued, preserved and housed this earlier statue, maintaining continuity with the site's devotional past. Today the spring is monitored by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, adding scientific observation to the layers of meaning that have accumulated here.
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