Church of St. Nicholas (Old Town Square)

This Church of St. Nicholas was a Gothic building and was the parish church of the Old Town before the Tyn Church was built. It was taken by Benedictine monks during the Counter-Reformation of Czech lands during the 1600s and was then rebuilt in a Baroque style during the 1700s by Kilian Ignac Dienzenhofer. The side that faces the Old Town Hall is imposing, as it had to be to fit in with the opulence that this area displayed.

Inside the church, one can see a huge amount of exquisite decoration by Bernardo Spinetti and contains paintings by Petr Assamo that depict scenes from the life of St. Nicholas and St. Benedict. Just as impressive as the paintings is the chandelier was given to the church by Tsar Nicholas II, one of the most famous Russian tsars.

The history of this church is a timeline of many of the country’s religious struggles and social history. Therefore it is a must-visit for any history fan coming to the city. Since different parts of the church were built in different periods – with the final part being added as recently as 1906 – it means that regardless of the period of Czech history you are interested in, you will find something of huge interest in the Church of St.Nicholas.