Bratonice unveils monument honoring Adolf Kajpr, defiant hero against Nazi and Communist oppression
Father Adolf Kajpr spent 13 years of his life in concentration camps and prisons. He was persecuted by both the Nazis and the Communists for his journalism and opposition to the regimes. He dedicated his life to faith, the Church, and civil truth. He did not live to see the presidential amnesty in 1960 and died in Leopoldov prison.
Fr. Kajpr was a Czech Jesuit, Catholic priest, spiritual leader, and writer. Born in 1902 in Hředly near Žebrák, he and his brother became orphans early in life. They were taken in by their uncle and aunt, who provided them with a new home in Bratronice.
Fr. Kajpr initially worked as a farmhand, then trained as a shoemaker, and eventually pursued the milling trade at Roučmíd's mill. It was here that he encountered the miller’s brother, a high school teacher from Prague, which inspired him to further his education.
Czech Radio interviewed historian Jan Stříbrný to shed light on various aspects of his life.
"His life opened up the moment he went to war in 1924. After that war, he decided to take a more vigorous step into life and discovered his spiritual vocation. So, after a short while, he graduated from the Prague Archbishop's Gymnasium, and after graduating from there he went on to further studies in Belgium and Austria. He then spent a year in a monastery in France. After his return, he worked at the Church of St. Ignatius on Charles Square in Prague.”
In 1941, the priest was arrested for “spiteful” articles against the Reich. The Nazi regime also took issue with his preaching. He was imprisoned in Pankrác and then in Terezín for illegal publishing as the editor of four magazines. Later he went through the concentration camps Mauthausen and Dachau until 1945. He would be imprisoned again by the Communists from 1950 to 1959.
"He was arrested and sentenced to twelve years in prison in a large trial along with other representatives of the Order at the beginning of April 1950. He was imprisoned in Valdice near Jičín and later transferred to Leopoldov, where persecuted priests from all over the country were gradually interned.”
In 1960, the Czech president announced a broad amnesty, but Fr. Kajpr did not live to see it. On 17 September 1959, he died in his cell at the age of 57.
According to fellow prisoners, clergy, and those who knew him, he was one of the most pure and unwavering individuals in his faith and convictions. His beatification process is currently in progress and is expected to conclude by the end of 2025.
A monument honoring Fr. Kajpr was erected by local enthusiasts in collaboration with the Keys for Democracy Association. The design was created by sculptor Klára Žán Valentová. She spoke to Czech Radio about its design:
"The monument features a figure of Fr. Kajpr being crushed between two stone blocks, symbolizing the struggle he faced from the two totalitarian regimes.”
The monument stands near the church in Bratronice, where Fr. Kajpr celebrated his first mass after completing his theological studies.
