Church of Our Lady in front of Týn

The Church of Our Lady in front of Týn (in Czech "Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem", "Týnský chrám" or just "Týn") is a dominant feature of the Old Town district of Prague, and the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. Towers of church are 80 m high and topped by four small spires.

History

In the 11th century this area was occupied by a romanesque church, which was replaced by an early gothic Church of Our Lady in front of Týn in 1256. Construction of present church started in the 14th century in late gothic style, under the influence of Matthias of Arras, and later Peter Parler. At the beginning of the 15th century, construction was almost done; only the towers, gable and roof were missing. The church was controlled by Hussites for some time, including John of Rokycan, future archbishop of Prague, who became the vicar of the church in 1427.

The roof was completed in the 1450s, while the gable and northern tower were completed shortly thereafter during the reign of George of Podebrady. His sculpture was placed on the gable, below a huge golden chalice, the symbol of the Hussites. The southern tower was not completed until 1511, under Matěj Rejsek. In 1626, after the Battle of the White Mountain, the sculptures of George of Podebrady and the chalice were removed, replaced by a sculpture of The Madonna, with aureole made from the chalice. In 1679 the church was damaged by fire caused by lightning, causing the heavily damaged old vault to be replaced by a lower baroque vault.

In 1876 - 1895 a reconstruction was carried out, which was reversed through a long exterior restoration that took place in the years 1973 - 1995. Afterwards interior restoration began, and is still in progress.

Highlights

*The northern portal is a wonderful example of Gothic sculpture by the Parler workshop, with a relief depicting the Crucifixion. The main entrance is located at the West of the church, through a narrow passage beside the houses in front of the façade.
*The early baroque altarpiece has paintings by Karel Škréta executed around 1649.
*The oldest pipe organ in Prague stands inside this church. The organ was built in 1673 by Heinrich Mundt and is one of the most representative 17th century organs in Europe.
*The great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who worked for Emperor Rudolph II, was buried in the church in 1601. His beautiful marble tomb slab is located inside.

External links

* [http://tynska.farnost.cz/index_en.html Web pages of Roman Catholic parish at the church]
* [http://www.pis.cz/en/prague/monuments/our_lady_before_tyn/ Information on Prague Information Service pages]