St. Nicholas Church: A Must-See Baroque Masterpiece in Lesser Town, Prague

The Church of St. Nicholas in Lesser Town (Malá Strana) in Prague is one of the most important Baroque buildings in Europe and is often referred to as the most beautiful church in Prague and the whole Czech Republic.

I was definitely surprised at how spacious and decorative the church was when I walked inside. You can climb the stairs to the gallery, where you can see the paintings and statues even better and get a different view of the whole church.

The church’s large dome roof and slender church tower can be seen from far away and look amazing as part of the Prague Castle panorama.

Is St. Nicholas Church in Lesser Town in Prague worth visiting ?

I think St. Nicholas Church is definitely worth visiting if you like Baroque paintings and architecture. The entrance fee is reasonable and you can spend as much time as you like admiring the beautiful space. I’ve seen quite quite a lot of Baroque churches, but this one is definitely the biggest one I’ve ever seen and is also the most beautifully decorated one.

What you should know before you visit

Church Location

One thing that could be a little confusing is that there are two different St.Nicholas Churches in the centre of Prague – one at the Old Town Square and one at the Lesser Town Square. If you have a ticket for a concert, the venue is very likely to be the St. Nicholas Church at Old Town Square.

Church Tours

There are no official tours of the St.Nicholas Church and you can view the church at your own pace. You’ll be given an information sheet (available in various languages) and you can walk around yourself.

How long to allocate for your visit

The church is very large and if you want to include the climb to the gallery, I’d say you probably need at least 30 minutes. But I think I spent at least 60 minutes walking around, taking photos and just taking the amazing decor.

The church bell tower

The church tower doesn’t belong to the church anymore and it’s managed separately. If you want to visit the St. Nicholas Bell Tower, you need to pay a separate entrance. There is no access from the bell tower to the church either, but it’s definitely worth for the views and the interesting history.

Practical information for visiting St. Nicholas Church in Prague’s Lesser Town

• Location: Lesser Town Square, Lesser Town, Prague 1 (entrance from the little square behind the church)
• Opening Times: Mon – Sat: 9 am – 5 pm, Sun 12 – 5 pm (this can sometimes vary depending on church events and services)
• Tickets: Adults 140 CZK, Students, Seniors 80 CZK, Children under 10: Free (buy tickets at the church entrance, no pre-booking needed or available).

St. Nicholas Church History

St Nicholas Church was once part of the most amazing complex of buildings built by the Jesuit order. They built their largest abbey in the Bohemia on the site of an early Gothic church from 13th century. The Jesuit order complex included church, bell tower, parish building and school and the order started to built in 1673. Because of the scope of the buildings and the huge cost the complex wasn’t finished until 1752.

The building construction was started by builder P. Bos, who was soon replaced by Giovanni Domenico Orsi. I think, the Jesuit Order really wanted the best architects in the business, because Orsi also built the beautiful Theological Hall Library in the Strahov Monastery and designed the Troja Chateau in Prague

But the most important part of the construction started in 1702 when the famous Czech designer Kryštof Dienzehofer took over.

After his death, the building construction was completed by his son Kilián Ignác Dienzehofer, who designed the large vault ceiling and the large church dome. During this time, Frantisek, brother of famous Bohemian architect Santini-Aichel was working here as a stonemason. In 1752, the tower with the bell tower, modified by Anselmo Lurago, was also completed.

The parish building and school buildings are still next to the church, but when all Bohemian abbeys were closed down in 1773 by king Josef II, the buildings were used for various administrative purposes. During the first Czech Republic (1918) the buildings were used by the finance ministry and today you can find here mathematical faculty of Charles University.

What you can see inside the St. Nicholas Church

I was completely taken by the sheer space inside the church and I don’t think I’ve ever been in church of this size! The beautifully painted ceiling fresco is one of the largest in Europe and most of the scuptures are much large than a human size.

You can also see the large church organ that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once played. The Baroque organ has more than 4 000 pipes, which are up to 6 metres tall. Mozart played here in 1787 when he visited Prague for the first time. During his Prague stay, the opera Don Giovanni was performed in the Estates Theatre as a world premiere.

Don’t miss the climb to the church gallery, from where you will get an amazing view of the whole church.

The legend of a curious monk

From the church gallery you can also see the ceiling painting in a great detail. Take a good look and see if you can spot a figure of a monk which is part of a local legend. The story goes, that the painter didn’t want anyone to watch him while he was at work and asked everyone to stay away, so that he can surprise them when the painting is completely finished.

But, one of the Jesuit monks was so curious that he would secretly watch the master at work from behind one of the columns. The painter noticed him and, as a punishment, painted him in the ceiling fresco as a figure observing everything from behind a column. At the ceiling grand unveiling, the rest of Jesuits monks were astonished as they could easily recognise the guilty monk, and the curious monk was left embarrassed.

The St. Nicholas Bell Tower

The church bell tower was of course originally part of the St. Nicholas church, but now it’s managed separately and you need to buy a separate ticket to view it.

At the top of the bell tower, you will be amazed by the beautiful view of the rooftops and towers of Malá Strana and the Charles Bridge.

During the 20th century, the bell tower of the St. Nicolas Church served as an observation post for the communist police known as the Státní bezpečnost (StB). It was a strategic location for observing the embassies of the USA and former Yugoslavia, as well as the access way to the embassy of Western Germany.

How to get to St Nicholas Church in Lesser Town from Old Town Square in Prague

Getting to St. Nicholas Church from Old Town Square is pretty easy. I prefer to walk as it’s not that far away, but you can also take tram.

Getting to St. Nicholas Church by walking (20 -25 min)

Start at Old Town Square and head towards Charles Bridge by walking down Karlova Street. This street is narrow and winding but filled with shops, so your walk might take a little longer than you’ve planned it! When you reach Charles Bridge, cross it.

Once you’re across the bridge, you’ll be in Lesser Town and you’ll see the church bell tower in the distance. Continue straight onto Mostecká Street, which leads into Malostranské Náměstí, one of the most beautiful squares in Prague and then walk pass the entrance to the bell tower to get to the church entrance from the smaller square above the Malostranske Namesti.

Getting to St.Nicholas by tram

There is no direct tram from Old Town Square to Lesser Town Square, but it only involves one change. To get to St. Nicholas Church in Lesser Town from Old Town Square by tram, start by walking to the nearest tram stop, which is called “Staroměstská.” It’s about a 5-minute walk from Old Town Square.

Once you’re at Staroměstská, look for tram number 2, 17, 18 towards Malostranska (tram stop or underground). At this point, you can also take the underground from Staromestska to Malostranska. It’s a one stop, but to be honest it takes probably longer to walk down to the underground and up the other side than to wait for the tram at the Staromestska tram stop.

Ride one stop to Malostranska and change for trams in the opposite direction (numbers 12, 15, 22, 20). Ride one stop to “Malostranské náměstí” stop and when you get off the tram you’ll see St. Nicholas Church behind you.

This blog post was originally written on 22 November 2024 and last updated on 22 November 2024