Night of Churches took place in the Czech Republic at the end of May

On Friday, the 24^th of May, churches, prayer rooms and other rooms of the 11 Denominations that participated in the Night of Churches 2013 opened throughout the Czech Republic. 118 congregations of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren were open. The general public experienced the atmosphere of places that are difficult to access in everyday life, and thanks to that experience they could encounter Christianity differently than usual.

"Last year, half a million people attended the Night of Churches, most of those participating were from the secular public and Church members tended to stay away. But as volunteers, they prepared encounters, tours and programs. Through this event the Czech public overcomes its fear of contact with sacred spaces”, says Joel Ruml, Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren and Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic.

Churches and prayer rooms, parishes or religious communities prepared a rich program for the visitors with guided tours, concerts, workshops and theater performances, as they had in previous years. Also, otherwise inaccessible parts of the church buildings were open to the public, such as organ galleries, vestries, crypts or monastery gardens. The Internet application iKostel helped the visitors to find the nearest church.

TN