This Benedictine Abbey was founded by Emperor Charles/Karl IV in 1347 and has been a first rate theological centre of the slavic church for a long time. The scriptorium was pretty famous, a lot of marvelous scripts/books were created there - for example the "Registrum Slavorum" from 1395 on which the French Kings took their Oath in Reims until 1782.
The monks sided with the Hussites, thus the abbey step by step lost its influence and power in the 17th century. During one of the rare air raids on Prague in WWII the abbey buildings were severely damaged (14 Feb 1945). End of the 1960s the Abbey church got the new remarkable roof with the two tent-like spires (sorry, no pictures - best from the opposite side of the river).
The the Abbey church was restored but it is bare inside as most of the interior is lost. Quite nice are the frescos on the walls (pic 3). The door is usually closed but you can peek inside through the glass.
Well worth a look are the frescos in the cloisters (partly damaged). They depict bible scenes and were created around the year 1360 by three excellent masters. (entrance in the left wing on pic 1) Open on weekdays, small entrance fee.
Written Aug 13, 2011
Address: Vyšehradská 49/320, 128 00 Praha 2
Website: http://emauzy.cz/cz/index.php
Right in the middle of Karlovo namesti's eastern side is the beautiful Baroque church St. Ignatius, a work of Carlo Lurago, erected 1665 - 78. The facade to the square is dominated by the statue of the saint high up above the entrance.
The interior is a wide and bright hall with side chapels, the stucco works by Tommaso Soldati are stunning. The choir almost appears to be a separate room, angels seem to pull aside a stucco curtain. Marvellous! The high altar is a stucco lustro (fake marble) architecture from the second half of the 18th century, the painting is older (from the 17th century).
One of the side chapels has a small statue of St. Mary in a cave-like setting and it looks like it is a pilgrimage site. I couldn't find out details, sorry.
Written Aug 12, 2011
Address: Karlovo namesti
Located in main square, this wonderful white building is the most impressive of all.
After centuries of religious disputes and wars that introduced several changes in its Baroque original style and decoration, the Czech Hussite movement took control of the church that since then is used both as a church and as a concert hall.
Updated Aug 11, 2011
This often overlooked church is architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer's earliest church building using the project (with modifications) of his father Christoph who died in 1722. The church was erected 1720-29 replacing an older chapel at the same place. The floor plan is that of a cross, the centre is dominated by a large dome with beautiful fresco.
Between the late 19th century and 1948 the church belonged to the Military, masses were held for the soldiers stationed in the barracks around the corner. Since 2002 it is a "place for commemoration and praying for all dead soldiers and for peace on earth".
Written Aug 7, 2011
The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, or Tyn Church, (Týnský Chrám) dominates one side of the Old Town Square. The two spires of this powerful looking Gothic church (with a Baroque interior) can be seen from all over Prague.
Tyn Church is impressive by day, striking by night, lit up against the dark night sky. Take a close look at the two spires. They are not symmetrical. This is characteristic of the gothic architecture of the time and is a representation of both the masculine and feminine sides of the world.
Written Sep 4, 2010
Emauzy Monastery with the Church of Our Lady and Slavic Patron Saints was founded by Charles IV in 1347 for Slavonic Benedictines. It was the only Slavonic monastery in the west Christianity of the Charles's empire, centre of scholarship and arts. Such personalities as Jan Hus, Jerome of Prague… were among the students.
On February 14th 1945, during an American air-raid in Prague, the Church was destroyed. Later on, in 1967, a modern structure by the project of architect F. M. Cerny was realized – an asymmetric 32 m high shell structure with a 40 cm thick construction of white concrete.
Updated Apr 16, 2010
Address: Vysehradska 49/320
Phone: 221 979 211
Website: http://www.emauzy.cz/
The Saint Ludmila Church is a Neo-Gothic church built in the period from 1888 to 1893. It dominates the Namesti Miru Square. Its interior and exterior were decorated by many famous artists of that time, including sculptor Josef Vaclav Myslbek, author of the statue of St Wenceslas on Wenceslas Square.
Updated Apr 16, 2010
Address: Namesti Miru
There is amazingly beautiful and very unique church at the Jiriho z Podebrad Square – Church of the Most Sacred Heart of our Lord. This monumental church was built in the period from 1928 to 1932, and it is artwork of Slovenian architect Josip Plecnik.
Updated Apr 16, 2010
Address: Jiriho z Podebrad Square
This Orthodox church was built in honour of St. Cyril and St Methodius, the men responsible for the Slavonic alphabet. However, most people know about this church because of what happened here on the morning of June 18, 1942 when the Nazis discovered, acting on information from a traitor, that the seven Czech parachutists involved in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich were hiding in the crypt. The west side of Karlovo námìstí was cordoned off by 800 troops from the SS and the Gestapo. Three of the soldiers died as the SS stormed the church. The remaining four fought on from the crypt and tried to dig their way out. After hours of shooting and a long stand-off which led to the Germans deciding to literally flush them out using the fire brigade, they used their last bullets on each other. The bullet-scarred exterior wall holds a plaque in honour of their bravery, there is also a museum and the crypt.
Updated Feb 26, 2010
Address: Praha 1, Resslova 9
Phone: 224 92 06 86
Website: http://www.prague.cz/cyril-methodius-church/
Operation Anthropoid was the codename given by the British SOE to assassinate Reyhard Heydrich. It was designed to show that the top Nazis were not untouchable. The Czech soldiers were trained in the UK and were flown out from Tangmere by a Handley Page Halifax on 28th December 1941. There was a long wait until an opportunity presented itself when details of Heydrich’s itinerary were obtained..It was known that on 27th May 1942 Heydrich would be driven from his home in Panenské Bøežany to his office at Prague Castle. It was planned that 2 men Gabcík and Kubis would wait at a tram stop near the Bulovka hospital. There is a sharp bend at this location and the car would have to slow down. A third man, Valcik was positioned 100 metres before the bend to signal to the other 2 men. When the car slowed down for the bend Gabcik stepped out with a modified sten gun but the gun jammed. Heydrich made his driver Klein stop the car intending to shoot at the 2 men. This present another opportunity and Kubis threw a modified grenade which went off by the car mortally wounding Heydrich and injuring Kubis. Heydrich was taken to the Bulovka hospital but died from his injuries on 4th June 1942. A massive manhunt took place for the parachutists but they were betrayed by two of their own Karel Curda and Vilem Gerik who accepted money from the Gestapo. Eventually 7 parachutists were traced to the Church of St Cyril and Methodius where a gun battle took place over 14 hours where the parachutists either died from their injuries or killed themselves. Curda and Gerik were caught after the war, tried for treason and executed. The aftermath of the attack on Heydrich cost 5,000 lives and the destruction of the villages of Lidice and Ležáky. There is now a small museum in the crypt of the church where the bullet holes can still be seen in the walls and the attempts by the parachutists to dig their way out into the sewers. The museum has an excellent exhibition with English translations that covers a critical part of the history of WW2.
Updated Feb 26, 2010
Address: Praha 1, Resslova 9
Phone: 224 92 06 86
Website: http://www.prague.cz/cyril-methodius-church/
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Operation Anthropoid was the codename given by the British SOE to assassinate Reyhard Heydrich. It was designed to show that the top Nazis were not untouchable....
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