MONUMENTS

Saint Nicholas Church

The Baroque church of St. Nicholas can be found on Lesser Town Square (Malostranské náměstí). Originally there was a Gothic parish church, built in 1283, which stood in its place. In 1673 it was pulled down and the foundation stone of a new church was laid. Its erection, according to the original design of Domenico Orsi, had been postponed several times, and the actual construction activity began after a 30 years delay. The temple was consecrated in 1752, but its decoration was not finished until the 1760s. The interior of the church is architectonically very rich, based on a penetration of geometric bodies.

The decoration consists of pure Baroque. The frescoes were painted by the Viennese artist Jan Lucas Kracker whose style was influenced by both late Renaissance and his Venetian contemporaries. However, the most important part of the decoration are the pictures by Karel Škréta -„Crucifixion“ from the year 1646 in the St. Barbara Chapel and the „Passion cycle“, which consists of 10 paintings on the church gallery from the second half of the of the 1760s. The sculptural decoration is a product of the workshop of Ignaz Franz Platzer and consists of more than 50 statues. The larger than life size statues of Jesuit saints in on the pillars of the nave are the most remarkable. On the left altar stands a Gothic statue of Virgin Mary of Foyen, which is the oldest sculpture in the church.

Powder Tower (Prašná brána)

The Powder Tower is one of the most significant monuments of late Gothic Prague. It was built in place of the older dilapidated Horská Tower that originated in the first half of the thirteenth century. The present designation „Powder Tower“ has been in use since the beginning of the eighteenth century when the gate served as a storehouse for gunpowder. One of the main roads leading to Prague from East Bohemia entered the town though the Powder Tower. Coronation processions of Czech kings entered the town area through this structure as well.

The foundation stone was laid in 1475, the Tower’s foundation rests along the bottom of a fortification moat approximately 9 metres below the level of the contemporary ground. The moat was later filled in hiding the importance of the original foundation of the New Prague town. In 1757 the Powder Tower was damaged by Prussian gunfire and in 1817 all damaged decoration elements were removed. The present state originates from the years 1875–86 when the Powder Tower was restored and completed in the pseudo gothic style by architect Josef Mocker.

The Powder Tower is 65 metres tall, a lookout gallery is located at a height of 44 metres, and the spiral staircase has 186 stone stairs. The builder arched the first floor with a stellar vault, the second floor with a tracery vault, and the tower itself is finished with a gallery and a scalpriform roof. The statues of kings George of Poděbrady and Vladislas II decorate the first floor from the side of the Celetná Street, the other side is decorated with the statues of Přemysl Otakar II and Charles IV.

The statues of kings are surrounded with the coats of arms of the lands, in which they once reigned. On the side neighbouring the Municipal House (Obecní dům), there are remnants of late Gothic decoration displaying slightly scandalous scenes. On the side of the Municipal House, between the floors, there can be found a special alcove, which used to serve as a toilet. The slate roof with four six-metre high corner spires is near the gallery covered with the numerous signatures of visitors.

Star Summer Palace

The Star Summer Palace may be found in a game park with the same name on the White Mountain. Specialists speak of it as of a pearl of northern Renaissance. Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol had it built in the royal game park according to his own design in the years 1554–58. Here the archduke accommodated his great love, beautiful Filipina Welzer of Augsburg, whom he was not allowed to accommodate in the court, because she was not highborn. He married her secretly and visited her in the castle Křivoklát and later, right here, in the Star Summer Palace.

The summer palace has a layout of a six-pointed star with a diameter of 40 metres, which is also the height of the building from the ground floor up to the roof, the construction of which is also based on a six-pointed layout. Aside from the original layout, the stucco decoration of the ceiling on the ground floor is the most important. The individual spaces spread around the central hall. The vault is decorated with 334 fields of delicate stuccoes with motives from Greek mythology and Roman history.

In 1620 the battle of White Mountain took place in the vicinity of the summer palace. The subsequent historic events hurt both the summer palace and the game park significantly. During the Thirty Years War different armies camped there several times and in the Seven Years War the Prussian king had his headquarters there while besieging Prague. During the reign of Emperor Josef II, a deposit of gunpowder for the Prague garrison was established there as well.

Břevnov Monastery

The monastery in Břevnov, considered to be one of the oldest in Bohemia, was founded in 993. Legend derives the origin of monastery's name from a beam (břevno) which lay in the local spring, on which Prince Boleslas II had met St. Adalbert. At the entrance to the grounds stands a gate decorated with the statues of St. Benedict and little angels by Carl Josef Hiernl. Behind the gate, there is a yard, on the left side of which there is a granary, and on the right side a farmyard adjacent to the monastery buildings. The yard is closed with the frontage of the monastery temple of St. Margaret and adjacent buildings of the abbey prelature.

The St. Margaret temple exists as one of the splendid examples of Czech Baroque architecture. It is the first Prague church, which in 1948 received the honorary title basilica minor, from Pope Pius XII. This designation is only given to extraordinary temples. The most important space in the prelature is the Theresian hall, named for a visit by Empress Mary Theresa in 1753. Behind the hall, there is a classicist chamber with paintings by Antonín Tuvora, behind that is a Chinese salon decorated with exotic landscapes by the same author. Part of the monastic complex is a large garden, in which stands the abbatial summerhouse Vojtěška with a chapel above the spring, where the monastery had originally been founded. In the upper part of the garden, there are remnants of a green house from the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Prague Infant Jesus

The Church of Virgin Mary Victorious can be found on Karmelitská Street. It was built in the years 1611–12 by German Lutherans and consecrated to the Holy Trinity. It became world famous in a very literal sense due to the statuette of the Prague Infant Jesus, known in the Catholic lands as the “Bambino di Praga”. This famous wax figurine is a Spanish work of the sixteenth century. It is 45 centimetres tall, its inside is covered with linen and coated with wax.

The hair had originally been dark, but later on was dyed fair. The right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, in the left hand the figurine holds a gilded globe with a cross, a cross is also placed on its breast. Since its creation a legend of marvellous aid against plague, plundering, etc. has been associated with the statuette. As a result people traditionally come to the statuette with their appeals. It is most venerated in Spain, Italy, Latin American countries and in the Philippines where it helped the missionaries to unite the country 400 years ago.

The Infant Jesus uses 2 crowns and about 46 sets of garments. The practice of dressing the baby is ancient. The roll of its dressers is also very old and in 1747 it was entrusted to the English Ladies. The gown is changed ten times a year, according to the period of the year. For instance, the Easter gown is white, on White Sunday the baby is dressed in red, in Advent in purple etc. There are also, for instance, Chinese or Vietnamese gowns or a gown made of ancient vestment, which was donated by the members of the old Spanish lineage Manriques de Lara in 1996. The most remarkable dress is one which was embroidered by Empress Mary Theresa herself.