Church of St Nicolas, Praha (1735)
St. Nicholas Church at the Old Town Square was designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and completed in 1735, replacing an earlier parish church, mentioned in records dating back as early as 1273.
But, it wasn't until 1901, when the Krenn House was demolished, that its beautiful white façade became visible from the rest of the square.
This famous Baroque church, decorated with sculptures by Antonín Braun, simply gleams in its corner of the Old Town Square, hit by the sun during the day and lit by strong white lights at night.
The interior design of St. Nicholas was inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris. The delicate stucco decoration was executed by Bernardo Spinetti, and the frescos are by Peter Adam the Elder.
In 1781, decoration inside the church was removed after emperor Josef II ordered the closure of all monasteries without a social function.
From 1870 to 1914, St. Nicholas became Russian Orthodox. And, during the second World War, Czech army units were stationed here - artists who otherwise would have had to go to the front, were set to work by a colonel to restore the church. After the war, the church was handed over to the Czech Hussite movement.
Classical concerts are held at St. Nicholas at the Old Town Square throughout the year.
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