Clementinum Prague

The Jesuit order, which had a very strong position in the early Baroque period, had this complex built between 1653 and 1726, on an area of ​​2 hectares. The Clementinum was to serve, as has already been said, as a Jesuit college, so there were large halls, classrooms, a library, which in those years was one of the largest in Prague and also one of the most important printers. Of course, the Clementinum also included outbuildings and accommodation. Part of the area are two churches - the church of St. Clement and the Church of St. Salvator, in addition to the Mirror Chapel and the Italian Chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The creators of Klementinum include important personalities, such as František Maxmilián Kaňka, Francesco Carratti, Kylián Ignác Dienzenhofer, painters Petr Brandl and Václav Vavřinec Reiner and sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun.

A number of important events are associated with the Klementinum complex. One of them is the relocation of the library of Charles Dormitories in 1620, on the occasion of the commissioning of the Jesuits by the administration of Charles University. In 1751 the Museum of Mathematics was established here and in 1722 an astronomical observatory was established here. In 1752, hydrometeorological measurements and observations began in Klementinum.

After the Jesuit order was abolished in 1773, the Archbishop's Seminary used the Clementine building. During the reign of Maria Theresa, the Clementine Library was declared an Imperial and Royal Public and University Library. Beginning in 1882, the Klementinum building was used by the Faculty of Arts and Theology of Charles-Ferdinand University.

At present, the Clementinum is used by the National Library of the Czech Republic and the astronomical tower has served as a meteorological observatory since 1775.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová