Church of Our Lady before Týn

Dominating the Old Town Square are the famous Gothic spires of the Church of St Mary before Týn (in Czech Kostel Matky Boží pred Týnem), probably the most mysterious church in Prague.

Long the main Hussite church in the Czech capital, it is a very unusual religious building, very tall and majestic, but squeezed between a cluster of houses: some, built right next to the walls, close off its façade. This is why Týnský Chrám, as the church is called by the people of Prague, can only be admired in all its imposing beauty from a considerable distance.

Do not neglect to visit the interior, with its artistic heritage of Gothic, Renaissance and early Baroque works, the most interesting of which are the altarpieces by Karel Škréta. The entrance to the church is hidden in a small alley from the main square; behind the church is the Tyn courtyard, with buildings in different architectural styles.

The two towers

Lingering in the hearts of visitors admiring the beauty of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn are the famous spires, two of the hundred towers rising into the Prague sky.

Fairy-tale and decidedly Gothic in style, the two 80-metre high bell towers are famous for having different dimensions: the south tower is slightly but visibly slimmer than the north one. This difference was a feature of Gothic art, but is also a metaphorical representation of female and male beauty.

Curiosity

• On the southern wall of the Church of St Mary before Tyn is a small window that once opened from the adjacent house. Franz Kafka lived here from 1896 to 1907.
• Inside the church is the grave of Tychon Brahe, a Danish astronomer and astrologer who worked for many years at the court of Rudolf II.
• The cathedral organ dates back to 1673 and is the oldest in Prague; the tin baptismal font from 1414 is also the oldest in the city.
• On the gable of the church today stands a statue of the Virgin Mary; originally it was a statue of the Hussite King George of Poděbrady with the great chalice, the symbol of the Utraquists. When the statue of George was replaced by that of Mary in 1626, the chalice was cast to make the Virgin Mary’s halo.
• Begun in the 14th century during the reign of Charles IV, the Church of St Mary of Tyn was not finished until two centuries later. In the 17th century, the interior was renovated in the Baroque style.