5/5 Мгер �. 4 years ago on Google • 1178 reviews
From
the
Prague
district
of
Podskali,
passing
the
botanical
garden
of
Charles
University,
the
street
will
lead
you
to
the
old
square,
where
the
Church
of
St.
Catherine
of
Alexandria
lurks
in
the
shade
of
centuries-old
trees.
The
temple
begins
its
history
in
the
mid-14th
century,
in
1355,
when,
by
order
of
the
Czech
king
Charlemagne,
the
first
stone
was
laid
in
its
foundation.
Catherine
of
Alexandria
was
the
ruler's
most
revered
saint.
The
construction
of
the
Gothic
church
was
completed
in
1367.
It
was
then
that
a
convent
of
the
Augustinian
monastic
order
was
founded
under
him.
In
1568,
the
Augustinian
sisters
moved
to
a
new
location,
and
the
monastery
became
a
monastery.
In
1718-1730,
the
Church
of
St.
Catherine
underwent
serious
reconstruction.
A
new
monastery
building
was
built
in
the
Czech
Baroque
style
according
to
the
design
of
the
court
architect
Christopher
Dientzenhofer.
In
1737-1741,
Kilian
Dientzenhofer
rebuilt
the
church
itself,
leaving
only
part
of
the
wall
from
the
previous
Gothic
building
and
integrating
the
original
tower
into
the
façade
of
the
building.
In
1781,
the
Austrian
Emperor
Joseph
II
carried
out
a
religious
reform,
as
a
result
of
which
the
monastery
of
St.
Catherine
was
abolished
and
disbanded.
An
asylum
for
the
insane
was
opened
in
the
monastery
building,
and
services
and
church
ceremonies
were
held
since
1837
exclusively
for
the
staff
of
the
asylum
and
its
inhabitants.
In
1950,
the
church
was
consecrated
again,
but
it
was
not
used
for
religious
services.
The
temple
premises
became
a
repository
for
sculptures
that
were
not
included
in
the
current
exhibition
collection
by
Prague
museums.
In
the
1960s,
the
church
was
opened
to
visitors,
but
this
period
did
not
last
long,
about
10
years.
In
2013,
the
church
hosted
a
concert
of
Byzantine
music
as
part
of
the
22nd
festival
of
the
revival
of
spiritual
values
“St.
Wenceslas
Celebrations”.
Today,
the
Church
of St.
Catherine
of
Alexandria
is
located
on
the
premises
of
the
General
Faculty
Hospital
and
is
administered
by
the
Orthodox
Church.
Here,
on
certain
days,
liturgies
are
held
for
Orthodox
Ukrainians
and
Georgians.
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