The Czechs may be among the least religious Europeans – only 1 in 10 consider themselves Roman Catholic – but Prague remains a city of monumental cathedrals, majestic monasteries and pretty churches. One intricately beautiful and somewhat unusual shrine is often overlooked: the Loreta Monastery, sitting right next to Prague Castle. That's part of the problem of course. The drama and fame of the Castle wins out on many visitors’ itineraries. That's a shame, as the Loreta Monastery and Treasury provides a spiritual backdrop to your visit to the Castle. And a musical one too, thanks to its melodic peals of its famous carillon.
The Loreta Monastery is actually both a working monastery and a pilgrimage site. The Capuchin order of Franciscan monks, known for their long pointed hoods, call Loreta Monastery home. The object of their contemplation and veneration sits in the courtyard – a small, ornate, baroque-style building that is a replica of the 'Loreta House'. This is the house, in Bethlehem, reputed to be where Mary was told she was carrying the Son of God. In the 17th century, having a shrine dedicated to that sublime moment for Mary was very popular. Many churches in Europe have such 'Santa Casas', and Prague's is one of the more popular.While you can take a tour around parts of the Monastery, and look out onto the Santa Casa, you can't visit as a tourist. But what you can do is visit the Loreta Treasury, which houses some of the intricate, holy and valuable ornaments used in the Holy Mass services, in the Santa Casa chapel. These include a medieval silver-gilded Bohemian chalice, and a delicately wrought nativity scene, made from silver, and set in a carved ebony altar. The altar was built in the 1620s, and donated by the founder of the Loreta Monastery – Katharina von Lobkowitz.The most valuable item in the Treasury, though, is the diamond 'monstrance' called the Prague Sun. This is an object that really does earn every syllable of the word 'fab-u-lous'. A richly wrought gold-and-silver mirror, the handle and base are wrapped in an intricate flood of diamonds – 6,222 of them if you're counting. It is used for the most special Masses, and was the ultimate showcase of Catholic passion, for those who had the desire – and the means – to flaunt it.
