Church of Saint Ludmila
From Prague-wiki
The Church of Saint Ludmila (kostel svaté Ludmily in Czech) is a Neo-Gothit two-tower basilica, standing on Náměstí Míru in Vinohrady district. Many renowned artists of the time worked on the interior and exterior of the church, including sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek, author of the statue of St. Wenceslas on Wenceslas Square and the sculptures in the Vyšehrad park.
In the second half of the 19th century the rapidly growing independent town of Vinohrady (joined to Prague only in 1922) needed a new church for its inhabitants. Great credit for the construction of the new church goes to the association formed for this purpose. This association had almost 1000 members during the construction period, who were financing the building as well as collecting the contributions from different institutions and individuals. Everything was properly documented in the year-end reports of the association.
The project plan of this church was prepared by the architect Josef Mocker, who was also one of the architects participating in the completion of Cathedral of Saint Vitus at Prague Castle. The foundation stone of the church was laid on 25 November 1888. It was ceremoniously consecrated on 8th October 1893 by Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal František de Paula Schönborn. Many of the profane and the spiritual celebrities were present.
The church of St. Ludmila is a three-aisled basilica. The ground plan of the church has the shape of the cross, thanks to a transept. The front of the church features two towers of 60.5 metres in height and a tall gable with portal above the main entrance door. The portal is endorsed with sculptures made by Josef Václav Myslbek. In front of the portal there is a wide single flight of stairs. The towers are constructed on the square ground plan and have five storeys of unequal height. The tall windows with sun-blinds are situated below the tower gables, which also feature the tower clocks. The towers are finished with octahedral steeples. Their construction was completed on 11 July 1892. The slim tall Sanctus steeple rises from the roof above the church aisle.
