Page 136 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

134  PR A GUE AREA B Y AREA

e Church of Our
Lady beneath
the Chain
Kostel Panny Marie Pod Řetězem
Lázeňská/Velkopřevorské náměstí 4.
Map 2 E4. Tel 257 530 876.
X Malostranská. v 12, 20, 22.
Open for concerts and services.
5 5:30pm Wed, 10am Sun. 7

This church, the oldest in the
Little Quarter, was founded
in the 12th century. King
Vladislav II presented it to the
Knights of St John, the order
which later became known as
the Knights of Malta. It stood
in the centre of the Knights’
heavily fortified monastery that
guarded the approach to the
old Judith Bridge. The church’s View along Bridge Street through the tower on Charles Bridge
name refers to the chain used
in the Middle Ages to close t At the Three y Bridge Street
the monastery gatehouse. Ostriches Mostecká Ulice
A Gothic presbytery was U Tří Pštrosů Map 2 E3. X Malostranská.
added in the 13th century, v 12, 20, 22.
but a century later, the original Dražického náměstí 12.
Map 2 F3. Tel 777 876 667.
Romanesque church was X Malostranská. v 12, 20, 22. Since the Middle Ages, this
demolished. Although a new street has linked Charles Bridge
portico was built with a pair Many of Prague’s colourful with the Little Quarter Square.
of massive square towers, work house signs indicated the Crossing the bridge from the
was then abandoned, and the trade carried on in the Old Town you can see the
old nave became a courtyard premises. In 1597, Jan Fux, doorway of the old customs
between the towers and the an ostrich-feather merchant, house built in 1591 in front of
church. This was given a bought this house by Charles the Judith Tower. On the first
Baroque facelift in 1640 by Carlo Bridge. At the time, ostrich floor of the tower, there is a
Lurago. The painting by Karel plumes were very fashionable 12th-century relief of a king
Škréta on the high altar shows as decoration for hats among and a kneeling man.
the Virgin Mary and John the courtiers and officers at Throughout the 13th and
Baptist coming to the aid of Prague Castle. Fux even 14th centuries, the area to the
the Knights of Malta in the supplied feathers to foreign north of the street was the
naval victory over the Turks at armies. So successful was Court of the Bishop of Prague.
Lepanto in 1571. his business that in 1606 he This was destroyed during the
had the house rebuilt and Hussite Wars (see pp28–9), but
r Charles Bridge decorated with a large fresco one of its Gothic towers is
preserved in the courtyard
of ostriches. The building
Karlův Most is now an expensive hotel of the house called At the
See pp136–9. and restaurant. Three Golden Bells. It can be
seen from the higher of the
two bridge towers. The street
is lined with a mixture of
Renaissance and Baroque
houses. As you walk up to
Little Quarter Square, look out
for the house called At the
Black Eagle on the left. It has
rich sculptural decoration and a
splendid Baroque wrought-iron
grille. Kaunic Palace, also on
the left, was built in the 1770s.
Its Rococo façade has striking
stucco decoration and
Fresco that gave At the Three Ostriches its name sculptures by Ignaz Platzer.

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2)
Date 14th November 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm