The paper explains the current dominance of unbelievers in Czech society as a consequence of the replication of the narrative template about religion, which is part of the national collective memory. This narrative template manifests itself in certain events provided by the interpretative framework. The aim of the study is to identify the Czech religious narrative template based on the analysis of public debate on the restoration of the Marian Column in Prague. The paper shows that a key element of this narrative template is the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism, which has not been resolved in the course of Czech history and is replicated in contemporary modern society through a discussion of the ‘meaning of Czech history’. This split has become a part of Czech national identity and its long-term consequence is the shift of Czech society away from religion.
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