Of all the churches in Prague, St Clement’s Church is one of the oldest. It was first mentioned in a written document in 1226, but the church was probably founded as early at 1065. It took its name from St Clement the Patron Saint of those who navigate the waters.

The original structure was Romanesque and these foundations were discovered during renovation between 1975 and 1981. You can see a 16th century inscription in the stone: “The Word of the Lord Endureth Forever”.

In 1620 the church was under Catholic domination and several side alters were added. In 1740 the church was abandoned and for nearly 500 years it served as a miller’s granary. In 1781 the Patent of Toleration allowed non Catholics to worship in churches and the first congregation of the Reformed Church took place in 1847. St Clement’s Church was bought by this congregation in 1850 and during extensive renovations between 1894 and 1896 the church received its neo-gothic façade that it retains today.

During the last renovations between 1975 and 1981 remains of wall paintings were uncovered in the apse and were carefully restored. These paintings once covered the entire apse and represent Jesus’ Way of the Cross, depicting His life from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection.
Today St Clement’s Church serves the Czech Brethren Protestant Church and services are held in English.

The Church of Our Lady before Týn (Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem, also Týnský chrám or just Týn) is a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague, and has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. The church's towers are 80 m high and topped by four small spires. The northern portal is a wonderful example of Gothic sculpture from the Parler workshop, with a relief depicting the Crucifixion. The main entrance is located on the church's western face, through a narrow passage between the houses in front of the church. 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.

If you want to visit a really breath-taking church, don’t be fooled by the rather plain Gothic exterior of St Jilji Church in the Old Town.

The church was founded in the 13th century by the Bishop Jan IV on the site of another, older church. Remodelling was carried out in the 14th century by Dominican monks. In the 18th century a monastery was built beside the church.

The Baroque interior dates from this time and is quite simply beautiful, with its elaborate stuccoes by Bernard Spinetti and ceiling frescoes by the Czech artist Vaclav Vavrinec Reiner. The main alter and the pulpit are wonderfully decorated in intricate gold patterns and the confessional boxes have wood-carvings by Prachnerem. The church’s 3500 reed-pipe organ was installed in 1757 and features Baroque wood-carvings. Classical concerts are held in the church throughout the year.

The exterior is Gothic and once there were two steeples of the same height, but in the 15th century lightning struck the north steeple and it was burnt down. A lower temporary roof replaced the steeple, but “temporary” obviously had a different meaning in the 15th century, as the roof is the same today. The church is administered by the Order of Dominican Monks.

The Bethlehem Chapel (Betlémská kaple) is a medieval religious building in Prague  notable for its connection with the Czech reformer Jan Hus. It was opened for sermons in 1394, and taught solely in the Czech vernacular, thus breaking with German domination of the Medieval Bohemian church. The building was never officially called as a church, only a chapel. In the 17th century, the building was acquired by the Jesuits. During reign of the Emperor Joseph II(1780s) converted into an apartment building. Under the Czechoslovakian communist regime the building was restored by the government to its state at the time of Hus. Most of the chapel's exterior walls and a small portion of the pulpit date back to the medieval chapel.

In Prague’s Old Town you will find the St Martin-in-the-Wall Church, located between the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. This Romanesque church has an interesting history.

Saint Martin Church was built in 1187 in the Ujezd settlement which then became known as Ujezd St Martin. When town walls were built in the 13th century, the church became part of the Old Town and because its southern wall backed onto the Old Town wall, the building was called by the name it has today.

The original church had one nave, which has been preserved and you can see other Romanesque features, although it was given a Gothic style in the late 14th and early 15th century. The presbytery retains its groined-vault which is one of the oldest in the Czech Republic. The coping stones are decorated with a rose and a star.

In 1414 the alter sacrament was given in both kinds (wine and bread) for the first time to laymen and the chalice became the symbol of the Hussite Revolution. The Gothic reconstruction, finished in 1488, was sponsored by Ultraquists, the aristocratic Holec family, and you can see their coat of arms in various places of the church.

Today the church is only open for Sunday worship and for classical concerts.

Saints Cyril and Methodus Cathedral was the 1st Orthodox Cathedral in Prague and is well worth a visit as it played an important role in Prague’s history.

In 1739 a Baroque church was built along with a house for retired priests and consecrated to St Charles Borromeus, the 16th century Archbishop of Milan. In 1783 the church and retirement house were closed down and the buildings were used as an army storehouse and later as army barracks. In 1869 it became the Czech Technology Centre.

Finally it was given to the Orthodox Church who wanted an unused church to establish a cathedral. The cathedral was consecrated to St Cyril and St Methodus in 1935. The cathedral retains the original Baroque frescoes and stucco-work.

During the 2nd World War, seven paratroopers hid in the cathedral crypt after assassinating the Nazi Governor, Reinhard Heydrich. They were betrayed and four of them were trapped in the crypt by the Gestapo. When the Gestapo tried to flush them out by flooding the crypt, the four men committed suicide. The cathedral clergymen and several laypeople were arrested for collaboration and executed. The Nazi desecrated the cathedral and in 1942, closed all Orthodox churches in Czechoslovakia.

The cathedral was re-consecrated in 1947 and a plaque on the wall bears the names and portraits of the Czech heroes. Today, the crypt is the National Memorial to the Victims of the Heydrich Terror and can be visited by appointment.

One of the earliest Baroque buildings in Prague, St Ignatius Church in Charles Square is part of the third largest Jesuit Complex in Europe.

The church was built in 1687 on the site of several medieval houses and consecrated to St Ignatius of Loyola, the Patron Saint who founded the Jesuit Order. The Jesuit ascetic way of life doesn’t extend to their churches and St Ignatius Church is flamboyantly decorated with lots of gilding and stucco decorations.

The beautifully executed frescoes were done by Jan Jiri Heinsch the famous painter of Baroque piety. The statues were sculpted by Matej Vaclav Jackel, whose work you can also see on the Charles Bridge.

On the tympanum over the entrance to the church you can see an inscription: MAIRORI DEI GLORIAE et SANCTI IGNAZII HONORI PIETAS EREXIT (Built to the greatness of God’s glory and to the honourable, pious St Ignatius).

On the roof of the church is a statue of St Ignatius. When this statue was put in place, it caused a lot of outrage, because the body of the saint is surrounded by a halo. According to church rules, only the body of Jesus should be surrounded by a halo, but the Jesuits wielded a lot of power in the 17th century and the statue was allowed to remain.

While you are exploring Prague’s New Town, don’t forget to visit the lovely Neo-Gothic St Stephen Church on Stepanska Street.

The church was founded in 1351, but building continued until 1401 when the tower was added. In 1686 the St Cornelius Chapel was attached to the church and the Chapel of the Branbergers was built in 1736. In 1866 a Neo-Gothic vestibule was added during reconstruction carried out by Josef Mocker. The belfry behind the church dates back to 1600. The only remaining church bell, known as “Stephen” was cast in 1490 and reputedly weighs over 2000 kilos.

According to legend, Charles IV obtained the remains of the martyred St Stephen and the rock where he was stoned to death used to be exhibited on special occasions. This made the church an important place for pilgrimage, and the cemetery was dedicated to pilgrims who died in the town. Matyas Bernard Brun, the famous Czech Baroque sculptor wasn’t a pilgrim, but he was buried there too.

Inside the church you will see a valuable Gothic panel painting and other fine paintings and sculptures. The main alter is decorated with paintings by Matej Zimpecht, one of which depicts St Stephen falling under a rain of stones.

You can’t miss St Catherine Church on the upper side of Prague’s New Town, because of its wonderful Gothic steeple, known because of its shape, as the “Prague Minaret”.

The church, which stands in the huge gardens of a former convent, dates back to 1354. In the 16th century the convent became an Augustinian monastery. In 1737 the church was reconstructed in the Baroque style, but the Gothic tower was kept and cunningly integrated into the new façade.

Once considered the most beautiful Baroque church in Prague with its marvellous frescoes, St Catherine Church was de-consecrated over 150 years ago and the interior has degraded enormously. The monastery was used as a hospice for the mentally ill and a new psychiatric clinic was built on the grounds, which belong to the Prague 2 Teaching Hospital.

Recently, the association “Prague 2 for Itself” tried to negotiate for a complete renovation of the church so that it could be re-opened to the public and perhaps used as an exhibition hall. However the Prague Town Hall in conjunction with the Prague 2 Teaching hospital decided to rent out the church to a small religious order: the Oder of German Knights, and the plans submitted by Prague 2 for Itself were turned down.

Among Prague’s sacred monuments, the Church of St Mary and St Charles the Great was the building that Charles IV took the most personal interest in and he laid the first foundation stone himself in 1351.

At first named the Church of St Charlemagne, this Gothic church was built in an octagonal style, after the funeral chapel of Charlemagne in Aachen. The church was consecrated to St Mary and the name became the Church of St Mary and St Charles the Great after the Hussite Wars in the 15th century.

The building received its Baroque façade during reconstruction after a fire in the early 17th century, but inside an incredible Gothic vault, measuring over 22 metres remains to this day. In 1711 an external stairway, called the Holy Stairs was added and under them you will find the Chapel of the Birth of the Lord, a replica of a Bethlehem cave.

Inside the church, the central aisle has a beautiful 8 sided pyramidal form, and the gallery installed in 1603 has a gibbous (convex) form. In this gallery you will find a lovely organ built by Bedrich Semerad. The rostrum and church alters were also installed in 1603.
In the grounds you will find the Czech Police Museum housed in the ancient monastery which was built at the same time as the church.

Not far the Charles Square and overlooking Peace Square you will find the rather austere looking Church of St Ludmila, but don’t be fooled by appearances, this Neo-Gothic two tower basilica was consecrated in the 19th century and built according to plans by Josef Mocker.

On the west side of the building are the two magnificent 60 metre high towers, each with a clock. The towers have five storeys and octahedral spires. The gable portal above the main entrance is decorated with sculptures of Christ with St Ludmila on one side and St Wenceslas on the other. The gables of the transept boast sculptures of St Cyril and St Methodus. You will see sculptures of St Procopius and St Adalbert.

The interior of the church is rather simplistic compared to other churches in Prague, but is given light and beauty by the many stained glass windows. The pulpit was carved by J. Zika, the side alters of St Mary and of St Cyril and St Methodus were designed by Stepan Zalesak.

The church organ has 3000 reed pipes and 46 registers, divided into 3 manuals and a pedal. The lovely but sober frescoes are by the Viennese painter Johann Jobst. The ceiling of the narthex depicts four Old Testament prophets. You can also see frescoes of Abraham, Isaac and Noah as well as saints connected to Czech history. The beautifully decorated pillars along the central aisle give the interior an elegant appearance.