Church of St. St. Nicholas Prague Old Town
If you say "Church of St. Nicholas", most of you will probably imagine the one located in Prague in the Lesser Town. However, the church with the same dedication can also be found in the Old Town, and it also has an undeniable significance. It is located on the Old Town Square, on the Royal Route, and is a very valuable architectural work of the High Baroque.
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Interesting facts Church of St. St. Nicholas Prague Old Town
Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town of Prague was built on the site of a burnt-out Gothic parish church, which is first mentioned in 1273. In 1635, the church was given to the Benedictines from the Na Slovanech monastery, who decided to demolish the old church and build a new one in its place. . Construction began in 1732 and in 1737 it was consecrated.
The architect of the church was Killián Ignác Dienzenhofer, for whom the church of St. Nicholas became a masterpiece. Originally, the facade of the cottage was directed to the "chicken market" and the building itself was surrounded by other buildings, which were later demolished. Urbanistically, the situation was solved completely differently than at present, when the church of St. St. Nicholas part of the Old Town Square, to which it is directed by the southern facade.
Following the reforms of Joseph II. the monastery was abolished in 1787 and all interior equipment was removed. Later, the church became the property of the City of Prague, for some time its premises were used as a granary and then also as an archive of the registry. From 1871, the church was leased to the Russian Orthodox Church, so services were resumed here. In 1916, the church underwent repairs and the interior was full of artistic details, paintings and sculptures.
Author: Andrea Štyndlová