Churches

The Czech Republic is mostly a Catholic country and churches and cathedrals can be seen on almost every corner. From St. Vitus Cathedral to the St. Nicholas Church, this is truly a ‘city of a thousand spires'. If you wish to attend English Mass, check our article about religious services.


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Concerts in Prague's Churches


Recommended churches to visit in Prague:

  • St. Nicholas Church located at Malostranske Square. The baroque interior is finely decorated with statues, paintings, and frescoes by leading artists of the day. The dome was completed in 1751, shortly before Kilian Ignaz died. Over the baroque organ is a fresco of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music. The organs were played by Mozart in 1787. The belfry was the last part to be built, constructed by Anselmo Lurago between 1751 and 1756. It is rightfully the most visited church in Prague.
  • St. Vitus Cathedral located at the Prague Castle complex. St. Vitus is visible from far and wide. The St. Wenceslas Chapel is decorated with frescoes and semi-precious stones. A door in the south-western corner of the chapel leads to the Crown Chamber in which the Bohemian Coronation Jewels are stored.
  • Strahov Monastery. Rebuilt in Gothic style, with later baroque additions. As well as visiting the church you have to also visit the famous Strahov Library, comprising one of the oldest monastic collections in the country. Located in the theological and philosophical halls, it is over 800 years old and it still holds over 16,000 books.
  • Church of Our Lady Before Tyn. The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn dominates one side of the Old Town Square. A great-looking Gothic church with a baroque interior, the building can be seen from all over Prague.
  • Loreta. Important pilgrimage site, built to promote the legend of Santa Casa. A copy of the house, believed to be the Virgin Mary's, can be seen, complete with original fresco pieces.
  • St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle. The best preserved Romanesque church in Prague, and the oldest church building in the Prague Castle complex.
  • Church of St Gilles. Situated in the heart of the Old Town, it is a large church with beautifully crafted high ceilings and ornate decorations.

Religious monuments in Prague

In Prague there is a whole range of sacral monuments of various architectural styles and religions. Probably the most visited is the Cathedral of St. Vitus, while the most famous site for pilgrimage in Prague is definitely the Church of Our Lady Victorious.

Emauzy

The monastery Na Slovanech with its church was founded by Charles IV in 1347. The ruler invited there Slavic Benedictine monks from Dalmatia and Croatia. The area was thus destined to become the only Slavonic monastery of the entire empire.

Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord

Built in 1932 by Slovenian architect Josip Plecnik, this very unusual building looks like a train station, or a stone freighter with a glass clocktower for a wheelhouse.

Divine services in foreign languages

Listing of churches where divine services are in foreign languages.

Church of St Ursula

The original sculptures of 1672 still decorate the facade of this Baroque church. Statues featuring St John Nepomuk (1747) are in front.

Church of St Stephen

Completed in 1401 with its multi-spired steeple, St Stephen's was re-Gothicised in the 1870s by Josef Mocker.

Church of St Catherine

St Catherine's stands in the garden of a former convent (1354). In the 1500s it was rebuilt as an Augustinián monastery.

Church of St Ignatius

With its wealth of gilding and flamboyant stucco decoration, St Ignatius, which was built between 1685 and 1687, is typical of the Baroque churches created by Jesuits.

St. Francis Seraphicus Church

The Baroque church by the Old Town Bridge Tower is the St. Francis Seraphicus Church. It belongs to the Order of the Knights of the Cross with a Red Star - the only order of the knights founded in Bohemia.

Church of St Lawrence

On top of the Petrin hill next to the view-tower stands the beautiful baroque church of St Lawrence. According to legend, the church was built in the 10th century on the site of a pagan shrine.