The Basilica of St. George or the Basilica of St. Jiří (Bazilika svatého Jiří) is one of the oldest Czech churches and burial grounds of the first Czech princely and royal dynasty of the Przemyslovichs in Prague, where the first Czech monastery of St. George was founded.
St. George's Basilica is located in the historical part of Prague, on the territory of Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) and is one of its architectural dominants.
View of the Basilica of St. George in the complex of buildings of the Prague Castle. Basilica - on the left, Rozmberk Palace (Institute of Noble Maidens) - on the right.
The Basilica is one of the most important Romanesque monuments and the second oldest church in Prague, founded around 920 by Prince Wroclaw I. Only the foundation of this church has been preserved.
After the foundation of the neighboring monastery of St. George in 973, the church was expanded and rebuilt into a three-nave basilica in the Ottonian early Romanesque style.
Until 1055, the basilica served as the official burial ground of the Przemyslovichs, until St. Vitus Cathedral was built on the territory of Prague Castle.
After the fire of 1142, the basilica was restored almost in its present form. So the towers of the church were built under the names "Adam and Eve". In the 14th century, a new facade was built in the west, remodeled in the 17th century in the early Baroque style in a typical brick-red color.
The current appearance of the basilica, which largely corresponds to the basilica of the 12th century, is due to the reconstruction carried out in 1887-1908 by the architect Františka Mach.
Today St. George's Basilica is one of the most valuable monuments of Romanesque architecture combined with the Baroque style, embodied in the main facade of the church and dating back to the 17th century.
The appearance of the basilica is dominated by two towers of white marl and two rows of Romanesque windows, reaching a height of 41 meters. The wider tower on the south side is called Adam's, and the narrower and inclined by 40 centimeters is called Eve.
The main facade of the church, facing the Yirzhskaya Square, is decorated in the tympanum with a scene of a knight fighting with a dragon. Also on the facade there are statues, including the founder of the Basilica of Wroclaw I and the founder of the monastery of Blessed Mlada, made of sandstone and probably the work of Jan Jiri Bendl. On the southwest corner there is a statue of a saint with angels by Frantisek Maximilian Kanka.
The interior of the basilica is Romanesque, austere and monumental. It was painted by Vaclav Wawrzync Rainer.
From the original Romanesque setting, parts of the relief have been preserved, on which the Madonna crowns angels, the kneeling abbesses Mlada and Bertha, and on the side of Prshemysl Otakar I and his sister Abbess Agnes.
On the south wall of the main nave there is a set of paintings on the theme of the Passion of St. Vorshila and 11,000 Christian virgins . Burgkmayr of the 16th century.
In the northern part of the nave you can see the work of the sculptor Otto Herbert Hayek "Christ from the trunk of a tree" 1947-1948.
In the attached chapel of St. Ludmila from the 13th century there are the remains of this first Czech martyr, the grandmother of St. Wenceslaus.
In the main nave there are tombstones of members of the princely family of Przemysl, including the father of St. Wenceslaus, Prince of Wroclaw I.
In the crypt, to which the staircase leads, there is a black statue of Brigitte, as a symbol of human instability and transience. The statue depicts the body of a girl after death.
Practical information
Short-term exhibitions are held in the premises of the basilica.
Visiting the Basilica of St. George is paid, and is included in the price of complex tickets for Prague Castle. Tickets also include: visiting Golden Lane with Dalibork Tower, Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, expositions and other objects in Prague Castle. Tickets are valid for 2 days.
The entrance to the territory of the Prague Castle itself is free. Learn more about Prague Castle, its objects and museums...
All the conditions for visiting St. George's Basilica, other objects, expositions and exhibitions of Prague Castle, the place of purchase of tickets and the cost of tickets, we recommend checking on the official website of Prague Castle: prazsky-hrad-pro-navstevniky.
You can get to Prague Castle by public transport, taxi, by car or on foot from the historical center of Prague.
Address of Prague Castle: Hradčany, 119 08 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
Coordinates of Prague Castle: 50°05'26.0"N 14°23'59.0"E (50.090556, 14.399722).
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