Church of St. Stephen / Kostel Sv. Štepána (Prague)
N 50° 04.578 E 014° 25.470
33U E 458821 N 5547272
Soon after the New Town in Prague was founded in 1348, the St. Stephen Church was built as well. It was a parish church of the lower part of the New Town. There are valuable paintings and sculptures inside and also a precious Gothic panel painting.
Waymark Code: WMKKHA
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 04/27/2014
Views: 50
Right from its foundation Prague’s New Town, founded by Charles IV, had, in view of its size, two parish churches. The upper part of town had the church of St. Stephen located at today’s Štepánská Street. The church was founded and administered by Knights of Cross with Red Star from the Prague's Old Town. Today, the church is parish church of Roman Catholic St. Stephen parish in Prague' New Town.
The Gothic triple-aisled building was built between 1351-1401. The chapel named Koronelská was built on the south side in 1686 and the chapel named Brangeberg was built on the north side of the building. Another significant intervention in the building construction was the addition of a neo-Gothic hall on the north side in 1866. This relatively large puristic Gothic restitution was carried out between 1876-1879 under supervision of architect Josef Mocker.
Steeple on the west side, which is 57 m high, is a distinctive point on Prague’s skyline. The earliest reference to this steeple dates from 1401. It is divided by four band cornices and lies on a cubic pedestal with a single profiled cornice. The circular stairs with little rectangular windows were bound onto the tower's south side. The top of the tower has a neo-gothic helmet. This together with a high pyramidal roof and corner turrets was designed by architect Josef Mocker in 1875 during the previously mentioned Gothic restitution of the church. The new clock faces of the tower clock were made during the same time period.