Tyn Church, Prague

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

What is Prague famous for? The Tyn Church, or the Church of the Virgin Mary in front of Tyn, is a visiting card of the Old Town. It is he who is depicted on many postcards, photographs and postage stamps, which depict the center of Prague. To come to the capital of the Czech Republic and not visit it is unforgivable even for a tourist who has very little time. Moreover, most of the excursion routes start from the Old Town Square, where this famous shrine, the Tyn Church, rises. The Czech Republic has preserved this heritage of architecture, despite the ups and downs of history. Now it is considered one of the symbols of Prague.

Tyn Church in Prague: address

This most important landmark of the city on the Vltava is located in the heart of the capital - on the Old Town Square. You can get there by metro (green line "A", Staromestskaya station), trams No. 17 and No. 18, buses No. 194 and No. 207. The exact address is: Old Town Square, 1.

You don't have to look for a templein general: two towers rise above the entire area and attract views even from afar. But, coming closer, you can see that the entrance to the church itself is located not from the side of the square, but from the Tyn yard. You have to go through a side gallery that goes straight to the steps of the shrine. If you plan an excursion to the Tyn Church in Prague, a photo of this architectural masterpiece is a must.

Name

The word "tyn" is familiar to the Slavs. It means "enclosure", "fence", "hedge". The fact is that the history of this name - the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in front of Tyn - begins from the time when there was no temple in sight. So why was the Tyn Church named that way?

Prague In the 10th century it became the capital of the Czech state, and at the end of the same century a market square was built on the site of today's Old Town Square. Various buildings began to appear around it. Merchants from different parts of the country gathered there. To provide them with lodging for the night, an inn was built right next to the market, which was surrounded by a palisade - tyn. The market square has always been crowded, so in the best traditions of Catholicism, a small chapel soon appeared there, which was located near the inn, just behind the fence. It is to this notorious fence (tyn) that the later built Tyn Church owes its name. The inn has also survived to our time, however, it has been modified. Now it is called Ungelt.

Historyconstruction

And in the 11th century, on the site of the Tyn Church, there was only a small unnamed church - a Romanesque chapel without an altar. At the end of the 13th century, it was rebuilt, and now it was already a full-fledged church of the Virgin Mary, made in the then dominant early Gothic architectural style. Perhaps this building would have survived intact to our time, if not for the competition between the Old Place and the Prague Castle (a newly formed administrative unit on the opposite bank of the Vltava River). Both one and the second had the status of a city. The old place was ruled by the viceroy of Charles IV. And in Prague Castle at that time, the construction of the grandiose St. Vitus Cathedral had just begun. Therefore, in order to keep up, the Church of the Virgin Mary was decided to be rebuilt into a more pompous Catholic church. For the sake of saving time, the foundation was left the same. Work began in 1365.

But at the beginning of the 15th century, after the execution of Jan Hus, the country was engulfed by the Hussite wars, in which the Protestants fought against the Catholics, and there was no time for construction work. By that time, everything was ready, except for the roof, towers and pediment. Later, the Hussites managed to capture the Tyn Church, and for some time they held their services there. This period owes its appearance to the statue of the Hussite king Jiri from Poděbrady with a golden bowl in his hands. But when the uprising was suppressed, the execution of the last leader of the Hussites and his supporters took place near the church. The gallows for them were made of wood, which was originally intended for roofing. The statue of the king was removed, instead it appearedimage of the Madonna, which is still there. They melted the golden bowl and poured out a halo around the head of Mary. When everything more or less calmed down, the construction of the church continued and was completed in 1511.

Architecture Features

Since the construction was delayed for two centuries, different styles are visible in the architectural design: from Gothic to Baroque. The project was developed by the Flemish architect Matthieu of Aras in the 14th century, another of his creations is the Cathedral of St. Vitus. Then Peter Parler continued to build the Tyn Church. Prague can be proud of such architects.

The temple was designed as a basilica (rectangular room) 52 m long and 28 m wide with three naves (longitudinal interior spaces).

Probably, most guides immediately draw the attention of the public to the fact that the two towers of the Tyn Church are asymmetrical to each other, although this is not evident at first sight. This has a symbolic meaning. One of the towers is called Adam and represents the masculine principle. That is why it is slightly larger and is located in front of the second, this indicates the place of a man in the family. The smaller tower is named accordingly - Eva. Due to the aforementioned Hussite wars, there is almost a hundred years between the construction of the north and south towers.

Interior

Tynsky temple impresses with light and spacious interior decoration. Among the most interesting relics is the altar painted in the early baroque style by Karel Škreta in 1649. It depicts the ascension of Mary onheaven. In the right nave is the world-famous enthroned statue of the Tyn Madonna from 1420. The church boasts the oldest organ in Prague from 1673, a tin baptismal font from 1414 and a Gothic stone pulpit from the 15th century. Also, according to the ancient Catholic tradition, many famous people are buried right in the church, there are as many as 60 tombstones here. For example, here is the ashes of the Czech astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Temple Legends

But not all tourists are interested in dry facts, but they are willing to listen to funny stories and legends. Here is one of them. Previously, one of the main statues (of the Hussite king) held a golden bowl in his hands. Over time, storks began to nest there, and they are known to feed on frogs. Once one of the frogs fell on the head of a noble person, a scandal erupted. I had to wait until the storks fly away to warmer climes to close the bowl with a board.

Many stone headstones are badly damaged. This is explained by an old belief that by stepping on a gravestone, you can get rid of a severe toothache. It turns out that people came to the temple not only to pray, but also to be treated.

Work Schedule

You can admire the temple from the square 24 hours a day, but they will let you inside only on certain days and hours: 10.00-13.00 and 15.00-17.00 (from Tuesday to Saturday), 10.30-12.00 (Sunday). Monday is a day off.

Tynsky temple and now functions as a place for worship. Alsoclassical music concerts are regularly held there - the acoustics are favorable.