Grace Thompson
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a complex religious history. The country's religious identity has changed drastically over the last century, with a notable decline in religious belief. While the country has a history of Catholicism, with the Catholic Church previously serving as the dominant faith, the present-day Czech Republic has a high proportion of atheists and irreligious individuals. This shift away from Catholicism and organized religion can be attributed to various factors, including the country's communist past, the rise of liberalism and secularism, and the revival of native historical forms of Protestantism.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of atheists | 47.8% |
| Percentage of believers | 21.3% |
| Percentage of Christians | 11.7% |
| Percentage of Catholics | 9.3% |
| Percentage of other Christian denominations | 2.4% |
| Percentage of other religious identities or beliefs | 10.8% |
| Percentage of non-believers in any religion | 30.1% |
| Historical religion | Slavic paganism |
| Year of conversion to Christianity | Between 9th and 10th centuries |
| Type of Christianity | Catholicism |
| Percentage of Catholics in 1950 | 76.4% |
| Percentage of Catholics in 1991 | 39.1% |
| Percentage of Catholics in 2000 | 39% |
| Percentage of Catholics in 2021 | 9.3% |
| Other religions | Buddhism, Islam, Paganism, Hinduism, Judaism |
| Other denominations of Christianity | Protestantism, Hussitism, Calvinism, Lutheranism, Greek Catholicism, Orthodox |
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What You'll Learn
Czech Republic's religious history
The Czech Republic, a landlocked nation in Eastern Europe, has a rich religious history. The area that is now the Czech Republic was a pagan nation until the 9th century. The Czechs gradually converted to Christianity from Slavic paganism between the 9th and 10th centuries. The adoption of the new faith was initially a personal decision made by individual aristocrats who were attracted to the Frankish way of life. The earliest churches in Bohemia, which was then part of Moravia, were wooden constructions. The first church built of stone was dedicated to the Virgin at Prague Castle.
In the 11th and 12th centuries, several new monasteries were founded in the Czech lands, most of them by the dukes. The Sázava Monastery, established around 1032, became a significant center of Slavic literature. Benedictine abbeys were established until the middle of the 12th century when new religious orders, like the Cistercians, arrived and gained popularity.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, a majority of the country identified as Catholic, but many viewed Catholicism as a foreign Austrian import and had negative feelings about the denomination. The rise of romanticism around 1800 stimulated a Catholic revival, which was sponsored by the government. However, liberalism opposed state absolutism and the Austrian Church, leading to a revival of the native historical form of Czech Protestantism, namely Hussitism.
In 1918, with the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church re-established itself as an independent organism, splitting from the Catholic Church with about 10% of the formerly Catholic clergy. During the Marxist-Leninist period of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960-1989), Catholicism was targeted aggressively, and the Catholic Church lost about half of its adherents.
Today, the Czech Republic is the most secular country in Eastern Europe. As of 2021, 47.8% of the population is irreligious (atheist, agnostic, or other irreligious stances), while only 11.7% identify with Christianity, including 9.3% who are Catholic. The religious identity of the country has changed drastically since the first half of the 20th century, when more than 90% of Czechs were Christians.
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Catholicism in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked nation in Eastern Europe with a complex religious history. The country's religious identity has changed drastically over the last century, with a notable decline in religious belief. In the first half of the 20th century, over 90% of Czechs identified as Christians, with Catholicism being the dominant faith. However, according to the 2021 census, only 9.3% of the population identified as Catholic, indicating a significant shift away from Catholicism in the Czech Republic.
Historically, the Czech Republic was a pagan nation until the 9th century. The Czechs gradually converted to Christianity, particularly Catholicism, between the 9th and 10th centuries. During the medieval period, the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, which encompass modern-day Czech Republic, were an integral part of the Habsburg monarchy. However, by the time Czechoslovakia gained independence from the Habsburgs in 1918, the position of the Catholic Church had been weakened by intellectual criticism, social changes brought about by industrialization, and its association with the unpopular Habsburg rule. This led to a revival of Czech Protestantism, particularly Hussitism, with about 10% of the clergy splitting from the Catholic Church to establish the Czechoslovak Hussite Church in 1920.
The Communist era further contributed to the decline of Catholicism in the Czech Republic. From 1960 to 1989, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic pursued policies that restricted clergy, closed monasteries, and controlled religious education, promoting "scientific atheism". The Catholic Church was a primary target of persecution, with clergy and lay people being arrested for distributing religious literature. The Greek Catholic Church, also known as the Uniate Church, was forcibly suppressed in favour of the Russian Orthodox Church. This period of religious persecution and state control over religious practices had a lasting impact on the religious landscape of the country.
In addition to external factors, internal changes within the Catholic Church also played a role in its decline. The rise of liberalism, materialism, and an anti-Catholic interpretation of Czech history, as propounded by Tomáš Masaryk, challenged the dominance of Catholicism. The Catholic Church struggled to adapt to these shifting ideological and cultural tides, assuming a defensive position rather than actively engaging with emerging philosophies.
Today, the Czech Republic has one of the highest percentages of atheists in the world. According to the 2021 census, 47.8% of Czechs declared that they did not believe in any religion. However, it is important to note that not all irreligious people are atheists. There is a growing interest in ideas and non-institutional models similar to those of Eastern religions, indicating a complex religious and spiritual landscape in the Czech Republic.
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Orthodox Christianity in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked nation in Eastern Europe with a complex religious history. The country has witnessed a significant shift in its religious landscape since the first half of the 20th century, when over 90% of Czechs identified as Christians. As of 2021, only 11.7% of the population adheres to Christianity, with a mix of Catholic and other denominations. This decline in Christianity is partly attributed to the country's Marxist-Leninist period from 1960 to 1990, which saw the suppression of all religions, especially Catholicism.
While Catholicism has historically been the dominant form of Christianity in the Czech Republic, there is also a presence of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in the country. The Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, also known as the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church, is a self-governing body of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It has a long history in the region, dating back to the introduction of Eastern Orthodox Christianity by the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius in Great Moravia. They translated the liturgical and canonical texts of the Eastern Orthodox Church into Church Slavonic, marking the beginning of the Orthodox faith in the region.
The Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic has 82 parishes, with 51 in Bohemia and 31 in Moravia and Silesia. These parishes fall under the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Council for the Czech Republic, which is based in Prague. The current primate of the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church, as of 2014, is Rastislav of Prešov (born Ondrej Gont), who serves as the Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
The history of Eastern Orthodoxy in the region has had its challenges. During the Middle Ages, Eastern Orthodoxy faced suppression, but it maintained ties with neighbouring Eastern Orthodox regions. The creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 brought legal freedom to the Eastern Orthodox Church, allowing it to operate without restrictions. However, the Marxist-Leninist regime that took power in 1960 again posed challenges to all religious groups, including the Orthodox Church.
Despite these difficulties, the Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic continues to function as a separate legal entity from the Orthodox Church in Slovakia, maintaining canonical unity. The church plays a role in the religious life of a small but dedicated group of believers in the country, contributing to the diverse spiritual landscape of the Czech Republic.
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Atheism in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is one of the most irreligious countries in the world, with a majority of its population being religiously unaffiliated and not believing in God. The country's irreligion is rooted in the 19th century, with additional developments during Communist rule. Under Communist dictatorship, freethought groups were exterminated and replaced with Marxist propaganda. While state atheism was not enforced as rigorously as in some other Communist countries, Czech writers like Ivan Sviták, Milan Machovec, and Vítězslav Gardavský played a significant role in promoting atheism and criticising Marxist dogma.
The Czech Republic's unique history and relationship with religion can be contrasted with that of Poland, which despite being behind the Iron Curtain alongside the Czech Republic, remains staunchly Catholic. This difference can be attributed to the distinct historical trajectories of the two nations. Poland's Catholic religion served as a focal point for Polish nationalism and cultural differentiation from their oppressors, who were predominantly Protestant. On the other hand, the Czech Republic's history includes periods of anti-clericalism, with the intellectual class criticising the Catholic Church and associating it with the unpopular Habsburg monarchy.
The Czech Republic's religious landscape has changed drastically since the first half of the 20th century, when more than 90% of Czechs were Christians. As of 2021, only 11.7% of the population identified as Christian, with 9.3% being Catholic and 2.4% belonging to other denominations. In the same year, 47.8% of Czechs declared they did not believe in any religion, and 30.1% did not respond. This trend is reflected in family life, as 79% of Czech parents are raising their children without a religious affiliation.
While the Czech Republic stands out for its high levels of irreligion, it is not entirely devoid of religious or supernatural beliefs. A majority of the Czech public (65%) believes in at least one religious or supernatural concept. For example, in 1998, 69.7% of Czechs believed in fortune tellers, dropping to 53.0% by 2006. Additionally, in the early 2000s, the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic oversaw 3,150 parishes and had the support of numerous priests, brothers, and sisters. However, the Church faced challenges due to religious indifference, the proliferation of questionable religious sects, and the need to cater to the families of the faithful.
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Protestantism in the Czech Republic
Protestantism has played a significant role in the religious history of the Czech Republic, especially in the form of Hussitism. The Czechs gradually converted to Christianity from Slavic paganism between the 9th and 10th centuries, and the Catholic Church became the dominant religious institution. However, Protestantism emerged as a significant minority during the 15th century, with the rise of the Hussite movement.
Jan Hus, a Czech religious reformer, introduced the Reform Movement to Bohemia and Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic) in the 14th century. The Bohemian Reformation, led by Hus and other regional Proto-Protestant reformers, gained widespread support. The Hussites, followers of Jan Hus, split into two major factions: the Taborites and Utraquists. During the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, the Utraquists sided with the Catholic Church, and their doctrine was accepted as legitimate. However, all other Hussite movements were prohibited.
In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation further shaped the religious landscape. Luther's ideas penetrated the region, influencing the Czech nobility and spreading the Reform Movement. Despite facing difficult times after the defeat at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, Protestantism experienced a revival in the early 20th century with the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1920, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church re-established itself as an independent denomination, attracting about 10% of the formerly Catholic clergy. This revival was fueled by anticlericalism and anti-Catholicism, as Catholicism had been associated with the unpopular Habsburg power.
However, during the Marxist-Leninist period of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960–1990), all religions were discouraged, and Catholicism was particularly targeted. The Czech Protestant churches suffered significant losses, with the Czechoslovak Church losing 80% of its adherents. After the restoration of liberal democracy in 1989, Protestantism continued to decline, and today it constitutes a small minority of around 1% of the population. The largest Protestant Church is the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brotherhood, which stems from the unification of Lutheran and Reformed Churches.
Overall, while Protestantism, especially Hussitism, has had a significant impact on the religious history of the Czech Republic, it currently represents a small minority in the country.
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Frequently asked questions
As of 2021, 47.8% of the population of the Czech Republic is irreligious (atheist, agnostic, or holding other irreligious beliefs). 39.1% of the population identified as Catholic in 1991, but this has since declined to 9.3% in 2021.
The Czech Republic was a pagan nation until the 9th century. The Czechs gradually converted to Christianity from Slavic paganism between the 9th and the 10th centuries. From the 15th century onwards, Catholicism was the religion of nearly all the population until the end of the 19th century. The Catholic Church lost about half of its adherents during the Marxist-Leninist period of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960-1990).
The Czechoslovakian Orthodox Church formed an autocephalous metropolis with four dioceses in 1951. During the Communist era, the Greek Catholic Church was suppressed in favor of the Russian Orthodox Church. Orthodox priests took over Greek Catholic parishes as Catholic clergy were imprisoned or sent to work on farms.
The Czech Republic has a history of anticlericalism and anti-Catholicism. Catholicism was associated with the unpopular Habsburg monarchy, which led to a revival of Czech Protestantism in the form of Hussitism. During the Communist era, the government suppressed religion and promoted "scientific atheism" through policies restricting clergy, closing monasteries, and controlling religious education.
