St. Mary under the chain
| Church of the Virgin Mary under the chain at the end of the bridge |
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 Entrance portal on Lázeňská Street, 2012 |
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| Construction time: | 1169-1182 |
| Style elements : | Gothic and Baroque |
| Towers: |
2 |
| Location: | 50 ° 5 '11.4 " N , 14 ° 24' 21.6" E |
| Address: | Velkopřevorské náměstí / Lázeňská 4 Prague , Czech Republic |
| Purpose: | Roman Catholic basilica (building type) |
The Church of St. Mary under the Chain ( Kostel Panny Marie pod řetězem in Czech ) is a Prague basilica and the oldest church in the Lesser Town .
history
The Johanniterordenskirche formed the center of the fortified order of the coming of the Johanniter . The monastery served to secure the bridges and fords at the strategically important point at the bridgehead of the former Judith Bridge . It was founded in 1169 by the Bohemian King Vladislav II as the first Johanniter to come to Bohemia. The king bequeathed numerous properties in the area, including the western part of Kampa Island, to the order. Gradually more than 50 town houses were built, which formed a Maltese jurisdiction and thus had their own jurisdiction.
Origin of name
There are various assumptions about the origin of the name of the church. They range from a statue of the Virgin Mary wearing a necklace to the chain-leading tower of the Judith Bridge. More likely, however, is the variant of a chain that was stretched across the Vltava from the Lesser Town in order to be able to demand customs from passing ships.
architecture
A three-aisled basilica was built by 1182. From the Romanesque church, which was larger than the new Gothic building, the blind arcades in the wall that border the churchyard to the south are still preserved today. In addition, the approach to the south aisle still has the cross vaults from the transept of the previous building. Around 1250 an early Gothic presbytery replaced the Romanesque east end. Around 1370 the church was demolished in order to build a magnificent high Gothic new building, but only the mighty double tower facade and the western vestibule could be partially completed. In 1420 the building suffered heavy damage during the Hussite Wars . Another major fire in 1503 caused further losses. The vestibule from the 1380s was crowned only in 1836. The towers did not reach the planned height either or were removed in 1519. At the beginning of the 15th century, the construction work was finally stopped. At the turn of the 16th to the 17th century, Matouš Dipolt Popel z Lobkovic rebuilt the former early Gothic choir into today's church, which was given its final baroque interior appearance by Carlo Lurago in the years 1640–1680.
interior
The wood carvings of the main altar show fragments from the life of the apostle Paul . They date from before 1740. Jakob Bendl probably created the pulpit around 1650 and the statues of the saints Gerhard and Ubladeska on the consoles of the nave. A late Gothic wooden statue of the Madonna is located in the gable of the church building.
The Bohemian painter Karel Škréta created the paintings on the high altar The Assumption of Mary , The Beheading of St. Barbara and The Victory at Lepanto , which were painted in the 1760s. In 1857 a marble statue of the Grand Prior Rudolf von Colloredo , who took over the effective defense during the attack by the Swedes on July 26th 1648 on the old and new towns of Prague, was erected. He also made a contribution to the renovation of the church and the monastery. Rudolf von Colloredo was buried in front of the high altar. A statue from the mid-19th century was made by Emanuel Max .
From 1965 to 1985 the church was extensively renovated.
literature
- Michal Flegl: Prague . Olympia Publishing House, Prague 1988.
- Harald Salfellner: Prague . Vitalis, 2011, ISBN 978-3-89919-186-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dr. Michal Flegl: Prague . Olympia-Verlag, Prague 1988, p. 122 .
- ↑ Heinz Tomek; Eva Gründel: Czech Republic . Dumont, Ostfildern 2010, ISBN 978-3-7701-7619-9 , pp. 83 .
- ^ Prague Minos Guide , accessed October 4, 2012
- ↑ Dr. Michal Flegl: Prague . Olympia-Verlag, Prague 1988, p. 123 .