7 . S T
N I C H O L A S
C H U R C H
STAROM Ě STSKÉ NÁM. 1101
The Church of St Nicholas , the most famous
Baroque church in Prague , stands along with
the former Jesuit college in the centre of the
Lesser Town Square . A Gothic parish church
consecrated by Prague Bishop Tobiáš in 1283
stood at the site until 1743 ; nearby was the
Romanesque Rotunda of St Wenceslas , which
had been built in memory of the miracle that
occurred during the transfer of Wenceslas ’
body from Stará Boleslav to Prague Castle , as
mentioned in medieval legends . Today ’ s
Church of St Nicholas is one of the most
valuable Baroque buildings north of the Alps .
Construction lasted approximately one
hundred years , and three generations of great
Baroque architects – father , son and son - in -
law – worked on the church : Kryštof
Dientzenhofer , Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer and
Anselmo Lurago .
The Jesuit Thomas Schwarz built the small
and main organs as well as many others in
Bohemia . Built in 1745 - 47 , the main organ has
over 4 , 000 pipes up to six metres in length .
W . A . Mozart played this organ during his stay
in Prague as a guest of the Dušeks .
The Church of St Nicholas is a superb
example of High Baroque architecture , a
building that astonishes visitors with its size
and monumental interior . As the most
prominent and distinctive landmark in the
Lesser Town , no panoramic view of the city
would be complete without its silhouette