Prague Churches -- Which Ones To Visit
 

Prague seems to have a full menu of churches, synagogues, convents and other religious buildings.

Other than St. Vitus's Cathedral, I would like to limit my church visits to no more than 5 unless there is some strong reason to expand the list.

Right now I have these candidates:
Loreto
Strahov Monastery
Church of St. Nicholas
Church of St. Thomas
Church of our Lady beneath the Chain
Church of our Lady Victorious
Church of Our Laldy before Tyn
Church of St. James
Convent of St. Agnes
Spanish Synagogue
Old-New Synagogue
Maisel Synagogue
Church of St. Giles
Church of St. Stephen
Church of St. Ursula
Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius

From the guide books I have seen, the Strahov Monastery and Loreto should be high on the list.

The Spanish Syngogue sounds like a fascinating place as does the Church of St. Nicholas.

Beyond that, I am not sure how to proceed.

Any advice as to what to add and what NOT to miss will be greatly appreciated.

I don't think I will have time to visit them ALL despite the importance of such buildings to history and religion.

Most of the churches are not often open. E.g. Our Lady before Tyn is open only a few hours a week if I recall correctly, but you can see the interior through the entrance door.

Which St. Nicholas church do you refer to? I hope the one at Mala Strana - the other at Staromestske Namesti is not as beautiful. Admission fee was 50 CZK btw.

Definitely Loreto and Strahov Monastery (although the church at Strahov Mon. is closed, but see the cloisters/picture gallery AND the library. If you're interested, I have a phone number somewhere if you want to make a reservation for a guided tour through the library - you only can peek inside normally.)

I'd add the big Neo-gothic church at Vysehrad. It is open Sat/Sun mornings and afternoons. It's worth going there not only for that church, also for the Romanesque chapel, the cemetery, the views of Prague.

No idea about the Synagogues - they are quite expensive so I skipped them.

I recommend Convent of St. Agnes if you're into pure gothic architecture - but if you already have seen enough of it then you'll be disappointed. They have an impressive collection of religious medieval art (paintings, carved altar figures) also.

I need to look through my photos and notes to comment more.

Another option is Brevnov Monastery in the western outskirts.

Thanks Ingo. Your advice is always very valuable.

By the way, we made our trip from Munich to Lauterbrunnen with one minor hitch that was really trivial.

We missed an exit off a round about and had to circle the whole thing to turn onto the street we needed.

As we neared the turn to Luzern, I saw signs saying the exit we needed was closed. Fortunately the detour was very well marked.

I'd vote for Loreto, St Nicholas (both), Our Lady before Tyn if you can figure out the hours, Convent of St Agnes (that's really more for an art museum listing) and of the synagogues, the Spanish was my favorite, then I suppose Maisel, but usually you do the Old/New also if you are in that area. It doesn't take very long. The Spanish Synagogue is not near those other ones, although not far away.

St Nicholas & St Tomas, both in Mala Strana, and near each other. They are my personal must sees.

Thanks all. I think the above suggestions are what I will go with.
There are so many that I don't think I can see them all.

I have to consider that we are two people well past 70 who are doing the walking about. Arthritic knees are a factor.

I can remember visiting London when I was in my mid forties. Days that started at 7 am for breakfast and ended at midnight after a concert were the norm. No longer.

Re the synagogues: The Spanish Synagogue is the most beautiful imo (and there are evening concerts, see
http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/acultsp.htm )
The Pinkas the most moving, the Old-New the most fascinating to me.

For church priorities, I'd say after St Vitus, St Nicholas in Mala Strana, and the Loreto.
St Cyril & M played a very important role in the Resistance during WW II. In the basement a film is shown, and you can visit the memorial crypt. I was really glad I went, but the church itself wasn't remarkable.

Don't forget the Infant jjesus of Prague
http://www.karmel.at/prag-jesu/english/firsten.htm

That's in the Church of Our Lady Victorious, though personally it didn't impress me much.

However, you can take the tram from Malostranska Namesti (St Nicholas & St Tomas) one stop towards Andel, and get off right in front of the church where the Infant Jesus of Prague is. Very easy, so it's worth at least a short stop, just for a look around.

Hello,
I think that very interesting church is Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, you can read more here:
http://in-prague.eu/orthodox-church-...and-methodius/ ..this one is good, because it's also a national monument of Czech heroes.
And close to this place (like 2 minutes) is Dancing house, it's very popular modern building, more here:
http://in-prague.eu/dancing-house-tancici-dum/