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Church of St Havel (Kostel sv. Havla)
The Church of St Havel, established by Wenceslas I in 1232, was one of only four main churches in Prague at the time. Its current Baroque façade was built between 1723 and 1738. The church is home to very valuable and nearly complete Baroque furnishings and many significant works of art, including the famous “Calvary” by Ferdinand Brokoff. Among the notables interred at the church is the important Bohemian Early Baroque painter Karel Škréta.
- Monuments & Architecture
- church
- Baroque
Practical information
REGULAR ROMAN CATHOLIC MASSES:
- Su 8.30
- Mo - Fr 12.15 (except July, August)
Tours and masses by appointment: e-mail: dkc@cmail.cz, tel. 602 457 200
concerts
Contacts
- Church of St Havel (Kostel sv. Havla)
- Havelská
- 110 00 Praha 1 – Staré Město
- +420222318186
- +420602204213
Object history
Havel (Gall) Quarter was an important part of Prague's Old Town. The Parish Church of St Gall, founded by King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia in 1232, was one of Prague's four main churches. Charles IV donated a valuable relic to the church – the head of St Gall, which he had obtained at the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland. At that time, around the mid-14th century, the church was reconstructed into High Gothic style as a three-aisle basilica which is still visible despite later Baroque remodelling. The well-known preacher Konrad Waldhauser, who came to Prague in 1358 and later became the pastor of Týn Church, served at St Gall. The pastor at St Gall from 1380 – 1390 was Jan of Nepomuk, who was later declared a saint.
Like most churches in Prague, this church as well was originally surrounded by a cemetery. In 1627, Emperor Ferdinand II gave the church to the Carmelites who built a monastery by the church. The monastery was closed down by Emperor Joseph II in 1786 and the church again became a parish church.
A 14th century cross vault and a number of art pieces have been preserved in the Baroque remodelled interior, including Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff's famed Calvary from 1719 – 1720 – a monumental sculpture carved from linden wood and coated with a polychrome finish. Karel Škréta, a noted Bohemian painter of the Early Baroque period, was interred at the end of the right aisle on August 1, 1674. The church belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.
Information source: www.tyn.cz