Church of Our Lady before Tyn

Staromestske namesti 604, Praha 1

In the 11th century, this area was occupied by a small Romanesque church, which was used by foreign merchants coming to Prague to sell their goods. This church was replaced by an early-Gothic structure in the latter half of the 13th century. The present high-Gothic Church of Our Lady was founded in the 14th century and it was constructed under the influence of Matthias of Arras and later Peter Parler, the two builders of St Vitus’ Cathedral. At the beginning of the 15th century, the construction of the church was almost done – only two towers, a gable and a roof were missing. During the Hussite Protestant revolution, the unfinished church was controlled by the Hussites and it served for the reformist preachers. The roof was completed in the mid-15th century, while the gable and the northern tower were finished some 20 years later, during the reign of the Bohemian king George from Podebrady. His sculpture was placed on the gable below a big golden chalice, which was the symbol of the Hussite Protestant revolution. The southern tower was completed only in 1511. After the anti-Habsburg uprising was defeated in 1620, the sculpture of the king George of Podebrady and the chalice were removed and they were replaced by a sculpture of Virgin Mary, which can still be seen on the church’s gable. The church was severely damaged by a fire in 1679 and it had to be reconstructed.

Religious Services

Tue and Fri 5 p.m.
Wed and Thu 6 p.m.
Sat 8 a.m.
Sun 9:30 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Opening Times

Open daily 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Entrance Fee

Church of Our Lady before Tyn is free to all visitors.