Northern portal of the Church of Our Lady before Týn / Severní portál chrámu Matky Boží pred Týnem (Prague) - Doorways of the World on Waymarking.com

Northern portal of the Church of Our Lady before Týn (Severní portál chrámu Matky Boží pred Týnem) with its 13th century stone-carved tympanum belongs among the most precious examples of Gothic architecture in Prague.

The beautiful Northern church's portal, overlooking pictoresque narrow Týnská ulicka (Týn Lane), is topped by a remarkable 14th-century tympanum that shows the Christ' Suffering and was carved by the unknown Gothic artist from workshop of Charles IV’s favourite architect, Peter Parler. The original of the tympanum is stored in the collections of the National Gallery, the installed one is an exact stone-carved replica. The portal, decorated also by coats of arms of Kingdom of Bohemia and Premyslid dynasty, is currently permanently closed.

The church of our Lady before the Týn is one of the most preeminent symbols of Prague Gothic style. As well as many other monuments in Prague, this church has a long and eventful history. In the place we see the church with two Gothic towers that dominate the Old town square and all the Old centre of Prague, Ungelt, have stood three churches, each destroyed by the wickedness of times.

The first mention about a Romanesque church on this place goes back to the 12th century. The church of our Lady Before the Týn as we see it today was build starting with the 14th century, in the times of Charles IV. The construction of the church was not finished until the mid of the 15th century, in 1470 under the rule of the last Czech king Jiri z Podebrad. In 1679 the church was hit by fire and the gothic dome of the main nave has been reconstructed in the early Baroque style. Parts of the original Gothic structure have been kept.