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Kostel Panny Marie pred Tynem Review

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Kostel Panny Marie pred Týnem

Address: Staromestské námestí, between Celetná and Týnská, Staré Mesto, Prague, Bohemia

Church of the Virgin Mary Before Týn

Category: Religious Sites
Location: Staré Mesto

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Fodor's Review:

One of the best examples of Prague Gothic, this church's exterior is in part the work of Peter Parler, architect of the Charles Bridge and Chrám svatého Víta (St. Vitus's Cathedral). Construction of its twin black-spire towers was begun later, by King Jirí of Podebrad in 1461, during the heyday of the Hussites. Jirí had a gilded chalice, the symbol of the Hussites, proudly displayed on the front gable between the two towers. Following the defeat of the Czech Protestants by the Catholic Hapsburgs, the chalice was removed and eventually replaced by a Madonna. As a final blow, the chalice was melted down and made into the Madonna's glimmering halo (you can still see it by walking into the center of the square and looking up between the spires). The entrance to the church is through the arcades on Old Town Square, under the house at No. 604.

Much of the interior, including the tall nave, was rebuilt in the baroque style in the 17th century. Some Gothic pieces remain, however: look to the left of the main altar for a beautifully preserved set of early Gothic carvings. The main altar itself was painted by Karel Skréta, a luminary of the Czech baroque.