From the Infant of Prague and the Church of Our Lady Victorious, we continued up the street (named Karmelitská, undoubtedly after the Carmelite caretakers of the church and the Infant) toward the big green dome of our next destination, the Church of St. Nicholas. There are actually three churches in Prague devoted to St. Nicholas (yes, the 3rd-4th Century saint who eventually evolved into Santa Claus), which can be confusing. One is an understated church in an area of Prague known as Vršovice, which is well outside the city's historical center, and was not what we were looking for. There is a second St. Nicholas Church in Old Town Square, which we would be visiting at a later time (stay tuned). The St. Nicholas Church we were headed toward is the main parish church of Prague's Little Quarter, or Malá Strana, and is the opposite of understated, as you will see.

The present St. Nicholas Church was mostly built in the 18th Century, after a decision was made in the late 17th Century to rebuild a previous Gothic parish church (also devoted to St. Nicholas) which had occupied the site since 1283.

The Jesuits (who by this time were running the church as part of a Jesuit college) approved a design by an Italian named Giovanni Domenico Orsi in 1673. Building and interior decorating took about 100 years, passing through three generations of architects from a family called Dientzenhofer. Work was completed just in time for the Jesuit order to be abolished by Pope Clement XIV, which happened in 1773. The church again became just a parish church in 1775, and it retains this status up to the present day.

Karmelitská led directly toward the church's dome and lone bell tower (both 259 feet tall), which are at the end of the church opposite the entrance. We turned left at Malostranské Náměstí to get to where the entrance was. In front of the church was a small square, mostly full of parked cars. In the middle of the square there was a monument known as the Column of the Holy Trinity. It was built in 1715 to give thanks for the end of a 1713 plague. It's 66 feet tall and is made of sandstone. It's populated by figures of the Virgin Mary and saints and angels.


We made our way back through the parked cars (some familiar makes, some less so) to the front of the church. The façade, completed in 1710, is fashionably baroque, and is covered with several figures of saints, with St. Nicholas occupying the place of honor, at top center.

But when it comes to baroque, there isn't much that can compare to the inside of this church. We climbed a short stairway to the entrance, paid the small admission fee, and were hit in the face with baroqueness.


The St. Nicholas Church is sometimes called "the most impressive example of Prague Baroque", and this is easy to believe. With ornamentation found in every corner, it's hard to know where to begin, but we decided to start with the main altar in the front. The altarpiece is covered with several gilded figures, but again the top center is home to a figure of St. Nicholas.

Directly above the area in front of the main altar is the church's dome. The dome is 65 feet across and is covered with a fresco by František Xaver Palko, called The Celebration of the Holy Trinity.


The ceiling above the nave has a fresco of its own, this one called The Apotheosis of St. Nicholas, done by Johann Lukas Kracker in 1760.

The ridiculously elaborate pulpit was completed by Richard and Peter Prachner around 1765.


To the left of the main altar there is a door leading to a stairway. The stairway goes up to a balcony, from which you can get a somewhat different angle on things.

The balcony is at the same level as the church's main organ. The organ is currently awaiting renovation and is not played (there are secondary organs), but in 1787 it was played by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was staying in Prague at the time.

Back at ground level, the church has several side chapels. The St. Barbara chapel, to the left of the main altar, was built before the rest of the church, and was the site of its first masses.






Attached to columns located around the church are statues of saints. The statues are sculpted from marble, but the columns are not, despite their appearance. They are artificial marble, fashioned from stucco.



At this point you might be thinking that we'd had enough churches for one day. But we were just getting started. Continue to the next page for a look at Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral.