One of the Old Town Square's icons, deserving of tourist snaps, but more deserving of an exploration of its decorated interior and its troubled history.
Stunning from the outside, jaw-dropping once you're inside, the beautiful white and copper-topped towers of St. Nicholas Church are part of the timeless backdrop of Prague's Old Town Square. Except that until the 20th century, they were hidden from the visitors that have long thronged the Square. It was only when the intervening Krenn House and Poultry Market were cleared in 1902 that the full splendour of St. Nicholas was opened out for all to see.Now it's hard to imagine the square without it. The foundations of the present church lie on top of an older Gothic church, used by the city's German merchants until the 13th-century. It owes its balanced beauty to the guiding hand of K. I. Dientzenhofer – one of the 'high priests' of Slavic Baroque architecture – and was completed in 1735. Its southern façade, facing the Square, is richly decorated with statues of Saints by Braun, before rising up to the green-copper dome, with its flanking spired towers.Inside, you'll find St. Nicholas a busy yet light-filled wonder, one perfectly complementing the exterior. Peter Adam the Elder's vibrant frescoes, glorying the lives of Saints Benedict and Nicholas, are on every ceiling and archway. The most impressive is the nave, which has one of largest paintings in the world. The walls are a froth of delicate white stucco decorations, wonderfully worked by Bernardo Spinetti.And St. Nicholas has had a history to match the busy detail of its interior artworks. It was the church of a Benedictine monastery until 1787, when Joseph II abolished it, in his struggle against religious power. For a while, it was a warehouse, then a rope-walking venue and a military concert hall. From 1871, it was made available to the Russian Orthodox Church. But since 1920, it has been the main Hussite Church in Prague. So it's only fitting that it's no longer hidden from the view of Jan Hus. He started the earliest of the protestant faiths – the Hussites – with his stand against the Catholic Church. And his proud statue now looks towards the St. Nicholas Church from the Square outside.
