Page 46 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

44  INTRODUCING PR A GUE

Prague’s Best: Churches and Synagogues

The religious buildings of Prague vividly record the city’s
changing architectural styles, and many are treasure
houses of religious art. But they also reflect Prague’s
times of religious and political strife, the lives
of its people, its setbacks and growth as
a city. This map features highlights of
their architecture and art, with a more
detailed overview on pages 46–7.
St George’s Basilica
The heroic saint, sword raised to slay the dragon, is
portrayed in this late-Gothic relief, set above the door -
way of the mag nificent early Renaissance south portal.
St Vitus’s Cathedral
The jewel of the cathedral is the Chapel
of St Wenceslas. Its walls are decorated
with semi-precious stones, gilding
and frescoes. Eliza beth of Pomerania,
the fourth and last wife of Charles IV,
is shown at prayer in the fresco
above the Gothic altar.
Prague Castle
and Hradčany

Little
The Loreto Quarter V L T A V A
This shrine to the
Virgin Mary has
been a place of
pilgrimage since
1626. Each hour,
its Baroque clock
tower chimes a
hymn on the
carillon of 27 bells.
Church of St Thomas
The skeleton of the
martyr St Just rests in
a glass coffin below a
Crucifixion by Antonín
Stevens, one of several
superb works of religious
art in this church.

Church of St Nicholas
In the heart of the Little
Quarter, this is Prague’s
finest example of High
Baroque. The dome
over the high altar
is so lofty that early
worshippers feared
it would collapse.

044-045_EW_Prague.indd 44 20/03/17 11:28 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Flashmap template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.1)
Date 19th July 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm