The Old Town of Prague has always been a merchant district, and in the Middle Ages it was controlled by a powerful and thriving aristocratic community. The Our Lady before Tyn Church, sometimes nicknamed the “Cathedral of aristocrats”, was commissioned by this elite of merchants to rival the amazing Prague cathedral on the other riverbank. It was built in the second half of the 14th century on the location of a former Romanesque building, in the area where foreign merchants used to dwell, right next to the Tyn courtyard which gave it its name. It is the place where merchandise arriving to the city was subjected to taxes (Ungelt in German), and around which the community of foreign merchants used to live and work.
The eventful story of the monument reflects the political and religious shifts in the Bohemian kingdom throughout centuries: it became a center for reformist preachers in the 14th century and was converted to a Hussite place of worship in the 15th century. It was the see of the only archdiocese of the Reformed Church: at this time, the Latin cross was replaced by a huge golden chalice (symbol of the Hussite Church) and a statue of George of Poděbrad, the only Hussite king in history. During the Catholic re-conquest, the chalice was melted and replaced by a statue of the Virgin that still adorns the frontispiece.
While the main façade is hidden on the side of the square by low arcade houses that must be crossed to enter the church, the most sumptuous decoration is surprisingly on the northern-side façade. It bears a magnificent bas-relief representing the crucifixion and scenes of the Passion of Christ. Inside the church, the willowy vertical lines of the Gothic building shelter a rich Baroque decoration with great artistic value.
The marble tomb of the astronomer Tycho Brahe can be seen next to the first South pilaster.
Our Lady before Tyn - Panna Marie před Týnem
Staroměstské náměstí 604 - Old Town Square
Prague 1 – Old Town
Roman Catholic church.
How to get there:
Tramway: lines 17 - 18 stop “Staroměstská”.
Subway Green line A, station “Staroměstská”.
Tours for tourists (no entrance, you look through the gate): every day from 10am to 1pm and from 1pm to 5pm.
