Tynsky Temple (Tynsky chram) is one of the most impressive Gothic sacred buildings in Prague.
The full name of the Tynsky temple: the Church of the Virgin Mary in front of Tyn or the Church of Our Lady in front of Tyn (Kostel Matky Boží před Tynem).
Tynsky Church is the dominant and main parish church of the Old Town of Prague (Stare Mesto district, Stare Město).
The temple is located in the heart of the old town of Prague, on the famous Old Town Square (Staroměstske naměstí).
The temple stands out with two tall towers topped with architectural spires resembling a crown with golden tips.
From the side of the Old Town Square, the lower part of the Tyn Temple is covered by historical buildings: the Tyn School building (Týnská škola) and the Trcik House "At the White Unicorn" (Dúm U Bílého jednorožce), in which cafes, restaurants and an art gallery (Central Gallery) are located.
View of the Tyn Temple in the ensemble of buildings of the Old Town Square
History and exterior of the Tyn Temple
The construction of the Tyn temple in the Gothic style was carried out from the middle of the 14th century to the beginning of the 16th century. By the beginning of the 15th century, the construction was almost completed, only the towers, the pediment and the roof were missing. The south tower was completed last, in 1511.
Before construction began on the site of the temple in the 11th century, there was a Romanesque church built for foreign merchants who came to the nearby Tyn Courtyard, which was a merchant center fortified with walls and a moat. In 1256, the church was replaced by the early Gothic church of Our Lady in front of Tyn.
The Tyn church was under the control of the Hussites for two centuries, including John of Rokikansky, the future archbishop of Prague, who became vicar of the church in 1427.
At the end of the 17th century, the interior of the temple was partially rebuilt in the Baroque style.
Today it is a majestic Gothic structure, which stands out with two 80-meter-high towers, each of which ends with roof towers topped with eight smaller spires arranged in two rows of four.
A powerful late Gothic pediment is notable between the towers.
Earlier, the pediment was decorated with a sculpture of George Podebradsky, placed under a huge golden bowl, a symbol of the Hussites. After the defeat in the Battle of the White Mountain (1620), the era of rigid recatolization (part of the Counter-Reformation) began, which led to the removal in 1626 of the sculpture of the "heretic king" George Podebradsky and the chalice, which were replaced by a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with a giant halo obtained by melting the chalice.
The northern portal of the temple has a relief in the tympanum depicting three scenes from the Passion of Christ in multi-figure compositions. And high-quality sculptural work is one of the most important monuments of Gothic sculpture of the pre-Hussite period in the Czech Republic.
The interior of the Tyn Temple
Inside it is a three-nave church, which ends in the east with a short presbytery. The side naves have retained the original Gothic ribbed vault. There are chapels in the side aisles.
The interior of the temple combines features of Gothic, Renaissance and, mainly, early Baroque.
The most interesting in the interior are the altar paintings of Karel Skreta and the tomb of astronomer Tikhon Brahe.
The altar with the central image of the baptism of Christ was carved in high relief around 1530 by the master Monogrammer I.P. Images from the life of Christ carved on the side panels of the wings demonstrate the influence of engravings by Albrecht Durer.
The baptistery of the Tyn Church of 1414 is the oldest and largest in Prague. There are also two valuable works of the so-called Tyn Golgotha Master of the 15th century: the Tyn Madonna and the sculpture of Golgotha at the end of the northern passage.
The furniture in the early Baroque style, including altars made with wood carvings, also attracts attention.
The organ of the Tyn Church from 1673 is one of the oldest preserved in Prague.
The organ is the work of Jan J. Mundt from 1670 to 1673.
Practical information
Organ music services and concerts are held in the church.
The website of the Tyn temple: tyn.cz/cz .
The address of the Tyn Temple: Staroměstské nám., 110 00 Staré Město, Czech Republic.
Coordinates of the Tyn Temple: 50°05'15.0"N 14°25'21.0"E (50.087500, 14.422500).
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