St. Nicholas church in the Old Town Square in Prague, originally commissioned by Benedictines from Emausy, the plans for the church were worked out by Kilian Ignacio Dienzenhofer.
The church is known for its remarkable chandelier, produced before the end of 19th Century in Harrachov glassworks. The organ was originally produced for the Jesuit church in Bohosudov.
Since 1919 the church is used by Czechoslovak Hussite church.
St. Nicholas Church is one of the most distinctive landmarks of Old Town Square, although the history of this site reaches much further back than the present Baroque building. A church already stood here at the beginning of the 13th century, and in the Middle Ages it served as the main parish church of the Old Town. It acquired its present appearance in the first half of the 18th century. The older church was demolished in 1732, and within just five years a new Baroque church rose in its place, designed by the renowned architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.
The impressive interior is decorated with frescoes by the Bavarian painter Cosmas Damian Asam, depicting scenes from the lives of St. Nicholas and St. Benedict, as well as sculptural decoration by Antonín Braun. One of the most striking features is the monumental four-metre chandelier made of cut crystal glass, produced in Harrachov in 1880. The organ, which today contributes to the unique atmosphere of the concerts held here, originally came from the Jesuit church in Bohosudov and was transferred to St. Nicholas Church in the 19th century.
The church of St. Nicolas – Mikuláš in the Czech language - enjoys excellent location to be reached from various directions. The shortest way to arrive for the concert is following the Kaprova Street from Staroměstská metro (= underground, subway) station – line A, equally trams (streetcars) No. 2, 17 and 18 or possibly bus No. 207. Before or after the concert you can take lovely walk also via Parizska Street – at the end there are bus 207 and tram 17 stops - the name of the stop is Pravnicka fakulta or you also can follow Dlouha or Celetna Streets.
