How To Visit Stunning St Nicholas Church Prague

St Nicholas Church Prague is one of the Czech capital’s most recognizable sights. The beautiful Baroque church towers over the Malá Strana (lesser Quarter) district between the left bank of the Vltava River and Prague Castle, its dome and tower among the most familiar Prague landmarks.

It’s magnificent from outside, the finest Baroque church in Prague and, along with a few in Germany, among the finest Baroque churches in Central and Northern Europe. And inside it’s just as impressive, richly decorated with pink marble pillars and some of the best 18^th-century frescoes in Europe.

In this guide I’ll show you what to look out for when you visit the church, explaining its history along the way. I’ll also cover all the practicalities you’ll need to know when planning your visit to the church.

St Nicholas Church Prague – A Brief Introduction

The present church replaces an earlier Gothic church on the same site. The new Baroque church was begun in 1673, and mostly completed by 1755.

It was mostly the work of three generations of one family – Christoph Dientzenhofer, his son Kilian Ignac Dientzenhofer, and Kilian’s son-in-law, Italian-born Anselmo Lurago.

Confusingly, there is another St Nicholas Church in Prague – St Nicholas Church on Old Town Square. And its architect? None other than Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.  To help differentiate between the two, St Nicholas Church in Mala Strana is a Roman Catholic church, while St Nicholas on Old Town Square serves the Hussite congregation.

Kilian was one of the great Bohemian Baroque architects, and was also responsible for the Kinsky Palace (also on Old Town Square), Břevnov Monastery in the suburbs of Prague, and Ploskovice Castle in Northern Bohemia.

What To See In St Nicholas Church Prague

Façade

The west front of St Nicholas was completed around 1710 under the supervision of Christoph Dientzenhofer. It’s the most ornate part of the exterior, but relatively restrained compared to the rich decoration within the church.

It’s decorated with numerous statues, including a figure of St Nicholas by Jan Bedrich Kohl, and figures of the four Western Fathers of the Church – St Augustine of Hippo,  St Gregory the Great, St Jerome and St Ambrose.

There is also the carved coat of arms of Franz von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, the church’s main patron.

The Interior

The church interior is, in my view, the peak of Prague Baroque architecture.  It’s believed that the nave was completed by Christoph Dientzenhofer, and that the chancel and dome were completed after his death by his son Kilian Ignaz.

The transition between the two is seamless. The whole church is elaborately decorated, with artificial pink marble and stucco heavily used on the pillars, and marble statues by Ignáce František Platzer in front of the pillars.

The ceilings and walls are richly decorated with frescoes, and one of the most striking of these is the Apotheosis of St Nicholas in the nave by Viennese painter Johann Lukas Kracker.

Matroneum Nave Gallery and Karel Škréta Frescoes

When my son and IK recently visited we were delighted to discover that the gallery above the nave was open to visitors.  The views of some of the ceiling artworks, and generally over the church, are astonishing. If you don’t suffer from vertigo, it is very much worth the short climb.

While speaking to one of the staff there, I was able to understand with my moderate Czech that the gallery is called a ‘matroneum’, and that it was reserved for female worshippers only – a tradition that lasted into the 18^th century and beyond in some parts of Europe.

The lady also kindly tipped me off that the series of frescoes decorating this part of the church were the work of Karel Škréta, one of the foremost Bohemian artists of the early Baroque period.

Climb The St Nicholas Town Belfry

Surprisingly, the church’s belltower has always been a separate entity from the church proper. It was operated by the city council, who employed a caretaker, and you pass his quarters about halfway up the 215-step climb to the viewing gallery. Climbing the Tower also requires a separate ticket from the one you have to buy to visit the church.

The St Nicholas Bell Tower is one of the best towers in Prague to visit because of the superb views you get from the viewing gallery. You get a fantastic close-up view of the church dome, and beyond that, up the hill, the Baroque spires of the Strahov Monastery.

From the other side of the gallery, you get a great view of the Malá Strana skyline, dominated by other Baroque church towers including that of St Thomas just beyond the square. From this side you also get a great view of the Old Town Prague skyline, with the towers at each end of Charles Bridge and the spires of the fairytale Church of Our Lady Before Týn and the Communist-era  Žižkov TV Tower in the distance.

There is also a room at the top of the tower which was used by STB (Czechoslovak secret police) and Soviet KGB spies to listen in on and observe activities at some of the Western embassies located near the church. A few years ago it was decorated with spying paraphernalia, and I had been promising my son a return visit there for a long time. However when we returned recently I was disappointed to find that it had all been painted over a silvery-grey. So if you climb to the very top, you’ll need to use your imagination.  

Tickets for adults cost 200 CZK.

Things To See Near St Nicholas Church Malá Strana

Malá Strana is packed with places to see, including some of the best in the city.

The most obvious is the Charles Bridge, which begins a three or four-minute walk down the hill from the church. It’s one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe, if not the world. This is partly because it’s adorned with Baroque statues (mainly of saints) on each side, and the background view at either end of the Bridge is breathtaking. Like much of central Prague it often gets heavily overcrowded, so take my tip and get there before sunrise, when it’s at its quietest and most beautiful.

Of the churches close to St Nicholas, the most significant is the Church of Our Lady Victorious Church, five minutes’ walk away on Karmelitska. It’s home to the Infant Jesus of Prague statue, which is purported to have miraculous powers, and been attracting pilgrims for over 400 years.

Some of the best Prague parks and Prague gardens are also close to St Nicholas Church. Vojanovy Sady is a favourite of ours, a former monastery garden hidden away behind a wall and old buildings close to the Vltava River. Kampa Island is also wonderful – once you escape the Charles Bridge crowds Kampa Park tends to be blissfully quiet. And there are also some lovely picturesque side streets in this part of town too.

And finally, just up the hill from Malá Strana is Prague Castle, one of the three main attractions in the city along with the Charles Bridge and Old Town. It’s the largest castle by area in the world, the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic, and home to St Vitus Cathedral, the Czechs’ national church.