Church of Our Lady of the Snows

The Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows, founded in 1397, is one of the grandest sights to behold in New Town. Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV planned for the Church to be the grandest and tallest in Prague, taller than St. Vitus even. You may notice when you enter that the proportions of the structure seem a bit off, it is higher than it is longer, as the plans of Charles IV were not exactly realized, if they had been, the size of the Church would have taken up the whole square, what you see is only a fragment. The unusual name of the church comes from a 4th century legend when Virgin Mary appeared in a dream of a Roman merchant. She told him to build a church where he will see snow in the morning when he awakes, confused, as it was in the middle of summer, the merchant slept on. When he awoke he found the Esquilinum hill covered in snow. Shocked and surprised, he had the first Church of Our Lady of the Snows built on the very same site. The altar, the tallest in Prague, displays a painting portraying the legend. Jan Zelivsky, of the Hussite fame, preached in this church in the 15th century. The Church of Our Lady of the Snows was originally of the Carmelitan order, only to be taken over by the Franciscans for financial reasons. The Communists shut down the church in 1950, and so the lovely structure sat in silence for 40 years, until reopening. The neighboring cloisters currently showcase exhibitions of local artists. The Church of Our Lady of the Snows is a true haven in the midst of the bustle of New Town.

Jungmannovo náměstí 18, Praha 1.