The Church that defines 'fairy-tale' for some, and Gothic for others, resulted from a 600-year old competition with the Emperor.
The Church of Our Lady before Týn is nothing if not evocative. Commanding the Old Town Square of Prague – its twin peaks spiked with grey Gothic spires – it provides a dark and ancient contrast to the white 'ice-cake' Baroque of the Square's other church, St. Nicholas. And if the Tyn Church’s wonderfully overwrought Gothic pinnacles seem familiar, that's probably because they are. They almost certainly sowed the seeds of Sleeping Beauty's castle, when Walt was sketching out his designs.The Tyn Church gets its name from the courtyard that stands in front of it – a collection of 13th century buildings, the Týnský Dvýr. They served as lodgings for the city's rich merchants. It was they who funded its construction in 1360. They wanted to create a church on the Old Town's right bank to rival the St. Vitus Cathedral, which was half-built on the left bank, at Prague Castle. And while that Cathedral's innovative High Gothic style inspired the builders of Tyn Church, it was the merchants that got their Church in first, in 1511. The St. Vitus Cathedral wasn't finally completed until 1929.Many of the Church's highlights reflect the bitter religious conflict that swept through Bohemia from the 15th to the 17th centuries. The Hussite Bishop, John of Rokycan, who was vicar of Týn, is buried here. During the Hussite control of Tyn Church, between 1427 and 1626, a statue to the only Hussite king, George of Podebrady and a giant gold chalice were erected in the entrance. When the Catholics regained control, both of these were removed, and the chalice melted to make the halo for a Mary sculpture, which is still here.Tyn Church also houses the oldest pipe organ in the city (which is occasionally used at concerts), a unique pewter baptismal font (thought to have been made in 1414) and a superbly wrought Gothic bas-relief showing the crucifixion (at the often overlooked northern entrance). And before you leave, take a look back again towards those famous twin spires from the Square. They're not twins at all, but are formed in subtly different shapes. A Gothic nod to the all-pervading male and female sides of the universe. Walt Disney, eat your heart out.
