Church of Saint Stephen
From Prague-wiki
The Church of Saint Stephen (Kostel svatého Štěpána in Czech) is a Gothic church in the upper part of the New Town, built soon after the New Town in Prague was founded in 1348 by Emperor Charles IV. From its beginning, the New Town was divided into two parishes: The lower New Town with the Church of Saint Henry and Cunigunde and the Upper New Town with the church of Saint Stephen at today’s Štěpánská street.
[edit] History
The church was founded and administered by the Knights of the Cross from the Old Town. The construction of this Gothic three-aisled building started in 1351. The nave was completed in 1392 and the tower in 1401. There is a Baroque chapel on the south side, built in 1686. On the north side there is the Bramberg Chapel dating from 1736 (with a painting of the Last Judgement), which remains from the former cemetery.
In 1738 the most famous Czech Baroque sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun was buried in the Church. Originally there was a cemetery in the surrounding area, but it was abandoned in 1784.
Another significant intervention in the building construction was the addition of a Neo-Gothic hall on the north side in 1866. A significant Neo-Gothic renovation was carried out between 1876 and 1879 and was led by architect Josef Mocker (who is famous for completion of Saint Vitus Cathedral).
The church is important for the history of Czech music. The director of the choir was Zdeněk Fibich and three great Czech composers had their weddings here: Bedřich Smetana with Kateřina Kolářová, Antonín Dvořák with Anna Čermáková and Josef Suk with Dvořák's daughter Otýlie.
[edit] Architecture
Steeple on the west side, which is 57 metres high, is a distinctive point on Prague’s skyline. The earliest reference to this steeple dates from 1401. It is divided by four band cornices and lies on a cubic pedestal with a single profiled cornice. The circular stairs with little rectangular windows were bound onto the tower‘s south side. The top of the tower has a Neo-Gothic helmet. This together with a high pyramidal roof and corner turrets was designed by architect Josef Mocker in 1875 during the Neo-Gothic renovation of the church. The new clock faces of the tower clock were made during the same time period.
Inside the church there is preserved original Gothic architecture supplemented with a Renaissance organ loft. The altars are decorated with paintings by Karel Škréta and Václav Vavřinec Reiner.
[edit] Bell-tower
A late Gothic bell-tower stands separately behind the church. It is a detached double-floor building. The belfry was built in 1600-1604 on the site of an original wooden belfry. Originally the belfry had a high pyramidal roof, which was installed around 1731 but replaced by a baroque cupola. Today’s roof is shaped like a taper square with cut edges and with a finial on the top. The original bells were confiscated during the World Wars. Today the belfry has only one bell – affectionately called Stephen – which was created by master Jiří in Prague‘s New Town. The estimated weight of this bell is 2010 kg.
 The 57 metres high steeple on the west side |
 The steeple, as visible from Malá Štěpánská street |
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 The north face of the church |
 Presbytery of the church |
 The chapel on the south side of the church |
 The Neo-Gothic portal on the north side, added in 1866 |
 West portal below the steeple |
 The belfry standing east of the church |
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