Brief Tour of Saint Michael's in Prague

Saint Michael's Church -- The south façade of the
church as visible from Opatovická street

Church of St. Michael (kostel sv. Michala) in Opatovice – V Jirachářích

The Church of St Michael (kostel sv. Michala) originally a Romanesque structure, is older than the New Town (Nové Mĕsto) itself, which started to evolve in the place of the fields and meadows, settlements and villages in 1348. 

It was evidently founded at the same time as the Settlement of Opatovice and a rectory stood here under the reign John of Luxemburg. It belonged to the Hussites during the Hussite Wars (1419), became the property of the Lutherans a hundred years later (1524), and then the Catholics after the Battleof White Mountain (1621). It was then bought by the German Lutheran Church in 1790 alter being abandoned. 

Window of Martin Luther

The German choir had a picture of Martin Luther created for the side window of the church in 1915. After the Second World War, the confiscated church was passed to the Prague choir of the Slovak Evangelic Church. The Gothic structure of the church dates hack to the last 25 years of the 14^th century. 

Saint Michael's Prague

It was expanded and added to on a number of occasions, with its final re-Gothicisation dating back to 1914 – 1915 under the leadership of builder Štěpán Koloschek. 

Cross on the Outside of the Church

The old Romanesque church was pulled down sometime before 1369 and subsequently replaced with a new Gothic structure.

Pillar From Original Structure

An oblong nave was created with a flat ceiling and a prismatic tower to the west. The irregular presbytery is distinctive for its remarkable vaulting and is one of the most interesting religious structures in Prague and beyond. The asymmetric three- naved structure is externally unified by an orbiting, Baroque, main cornice. The Baroque extension of a staircase to the gallery sits next to the southern Gothic nave. The structure comes to a peak with its slender prismatic tower, which has Gothic core. The portal from the north is fitted with a fanlight, whose tracery was made up of a number of stylized nuns. The late-Rococo main altar (around 1770) remains the Gothic fittings. This was originally dedicated to St. Michael. 

Christ Blessing Elements

There is also a picture of Christ blessing bread and wine (1870). 

John the Baptism on the Baptismal Font

The baptismal font comes from around  the same time. 

Pipe Organ

The organ meanwhile, dates back to the second half the 19^th century.

Rev. Tony Booker (http://www.lcms.org/booker) will be installed as pastor of the English service at St. Michael's in Prague.

Location of Saint Michael's in Prague.