Church of Saint Nicholas (Old Town)

From Prague-wiki

The Church of Saint Nicholas (Kostel svatého Mikuláše in Czech) at the Old Town Square was completed in 1735. It replaced an older parish church, mentioned in records dating back as early as 1273. St. Nicholas is a Baroque church, decorated with sculptures by Antonín Braun. The interior design was inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris. The delicate stucco decoration was executed by Bernardo Spinetti, and the frescos are by Peter Adam the Elder.

In 1781 decoration inside St. Nicholas was removed after emperor Josef II ordered the closure of all monasteries without a social function. In 1870-1914 St. Nicholas was used by Russian Orthodox Church.

It wasn't until 1901, when the Krenn House was demolished, that its white façade became visible to the rest of the Old Town Square. It simply gleams, hit by the sun during the day and lit by strong white lights at night.

During the second World War, army units were stationed here and artists were set to work restoring the church. After the war, St. Nicholas was handed over to the Czech Hussite movement, which uses the Church till now. It now serves as both a church and a magnificent venue for classical concerts.