On crossing the Charles Bridge from Old Town, one of the first landmarks in Mala Strana (“Lesser Town”) is the Baroque St. Nicholas Cathedral (yes, that Saint Nick).
St Nicholas’ dome and bell tower
Built between 1703 and 1752, the church is a great example of high Baroque decoration, which I personally find to be extremely gaudy, with every nook and cranny filled with a gilt or marble statue.
High Baroque altar
The cathedral is not free to visit, but if you purchase a ticket for a concert here, it includes the admission, a fair deal.
Dome fresco
The ceiling has a lovely, huge fresco, according to this site, it’s one of the largest ceiling frescoes in Europe at 1500 sq. meters.
Mmmmmm smiting….
The statues surprised me with their violence; Most feature some Jesuit saint or another smiting, jabbing, stabbing, or prodding some hapless person.
Anti-zen interior
It’s a pretty large cathedral, about 120×180 feet, and the main dome is an impressive 210 feet high.
Altar of St. Nicholas
We saw a nice organ and voice recital here, although I was disappointed that they used a side concertina rather than the huge main organ, which Mozart played when he visited Prague. Nonetheless, the acoustics are very good, and it wound up being the only concert we attended while in Prague.
Gilt and marble, anyone?
The interior is a little overwhelming with all of its decorations!
Door to the bell tower
Another way to experience the cathedral is to walk the 300 steps up its bell tower, which is the same height as its dome.
1980s communication tower
From the tower, an impressive view of central Prague is afforded. During communist times, it’s rumored that the state police spied on western embassies from here, as it is just a couple of blocks from embassy row. Here above the streets you get a unique perspective on the hustle and bustle of cars, trams, and pedestrians:
Tram #22, the tourist express
American embassy’s gazebo
Looking toward Charles Bridge
Tower bell
Don’t touch!
St. Nicholas from the end of the Charles Bridge
St. Nicholas, at least either the interior or the tower, if not both, should be on anyone’s itinerary, as it doesn’t take much time, and is an excellent example of its style, even if it is one that does not personally appeal to me.
Nice photos and nice weather in Prague, unfortunately not always like that.
Thanks for the comment, KW! We visited in April of last year and had great weather for all but 3 days, which were very gray and wet. Right now, I’m not sure I’d care to be there!
The baroque churches are a bit too gaudy for my taste, but some of the artwork is absolutely magnificent.
I quite concur!