Tyn Church in Prague – photo, history, address, opening hours, map
One of the symbols of Prague is the Gothic Church of the Virgin Mary in front of Tyn, or the Tyn Church, perhaps the most famous and unique building. Its two asymmetrical towers rise above the Old Town Square and the red roofs of city buildings.
History of the Tyn Church
Once there was an ancient Roman rotunda, which served as a place for worship for local merchants. The temple was built for about two centuries. Its construction began in 1359, and ended in 1559. And after the completion of construction, it was completed and restored many times. The building of the cathedral burned several times, but this did not destroy it, but rather allowed it to acquire a unique look. The outer facade of the temple is decorated with two famous towers “Adam” and “Eve”. Even with the naked eye it can be seen that one of the towers – “Adam” – is wider and slightly higher than the second.
As soon as the first walls were erected, worship began here. Famous Czech priests read their sermons here, including the national hero of the Czech Republic, Jan Hus. The temple has long been a stronghold of the Hussites. They installed at the entrance a statue of their king Jiri and their symbol – a golden cup. After the suppression of the Hussist movement, the Catholics instead put the image of the Virgin Mary, and the detained supporters were executed right there on the Old Town Square, using a tree intended for the roof of the temple to build the gallows.
The interior decoration of the Church of the Virgin Mary in front of Týn
The decoration of the temple are 19 beautiful altars, unique frescoes of the 14th-15th centuries, Cermak's paintings, ancient fonts and a stone pulpit of the 15th century. All the interior decoration of the temple is made in the Baroque style.
Here is the oldest organ in Prague, which was made in 1673 by the German master organist Mundt. Now the organ has been restored, returned to the cathedral, and now organ music concerts are regularly held here. A concert ticket costs an average of about 50 euros.
According to legend, storks built a nest in one of the bowls above the statue. And every day they brought frogs to the chicks. One day a frog fell out of its nest and fell right on the head of an important person. After that, it was decided to remove the bowl from there. The temple in different years was the tomb of famous historical figures. According to legend, the heads of 12 executed leaders of the Revolt of the Estates, the heart of King Jiří, are buried within the walls of the cathedral. The famous astronomer Tycho Brahe and the ten-year-old Jewish boy Shchimon Abeles are also buried here, who secretly attended Christian services in this church, and later was baptized. Upon learning of this, the father became angry and killed his son, and having changed his mind, he committed suicide. The clergy considered this a martyrdom for the faith and buried the boy in the church of the Virgin Mary.
Working hours
The temple is open every day except Monday. From Tuesday to Saturday it is open from 10:00 to 17:00, with a break from 13:00 to 15:00; and on Sunday from 10:30 to 12:00.
How to get to the Tyn Church
You can get to the temple by metro – get to the Staromestska station, or by tram No. 2, 17, 18, and at night No. 93 – to the Staromestska stop.