Church of St. Michael in Jircháre / Kostel Sv. Michala v Jirchárích (Prague) - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

Experts of old Prague surely know, that the street’s name "Opatovická" suggests the past existence of the Opatovice settlement in this area. The Romanesque church of St. Michael used to stand beside this settlement since the beginning of the 12th century. Later it functioned as the local parish church. After the foundation of Prague’s New Town, the settlement of Opatovice and its church were integrated into the New Town.

Some before 1369 the Romanesque church was demolished and a new sacred Gothic building was constructed. This triple-aisle church underwent reconstruction in 1511, when the tracery vault was created. Further reconstruction was carried out in 1717-1722, after which the church and its steeple essentially gained its present appearance. A new oval chapel was built in the mid 18th century. Additional minor adjustments were carried out at the beginning of 20th century. General renovation of the entire church was done between 1973-1983.

It is worth mentioning that the legendary philosopher, protestant theologist, musicologist, and above all humanist and doctor, professor Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) played organ at the local German Evangelistic church of St. Michael during his Prague visit on 14th January 1923. The concert was repeated during his second Prague visit at the end of 1928. In his honour a memorial plaque was revealed on the outside wall of the church in 1993.

As already mentioned the steeple gained its baroque facia in 1722. It has small semicircular windows. The roof features a classical bulbous octahedral cupola covered with copper sheet with lantern and a finial at the top. The steeple’s height is 32 m so it is visible from many Prague view points. Only the upper part of the steeple is visible due to high housing in the surrounding area. The church of St. Michael in Opatovice is used by the Slovak evangelistic community in Prague.