St. Castullus Church (kostel sv. Haštala) – Retracing the grave of St. Agnes of Bohemia and other curiosities
There are many mysterious and interesting phenomenons related to the Church of St. Castullus. One of the most significant secrets is the possible grave of the Czech woman saint -Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Czech: Svatá Anežka Česká), or Agnes of Prague (1211 – March 6, 1282)
St. Castullus Church (kostel sv. Haštala)
Discovery under the ground
The supposed grave with her remains was discovered by a restoring staff during the radar survey of the church. Thery believed they had found a case with remains and insignia of St. Agnes Premyslide in the floor. Another curiosity related to the research is the fact that the discovery was made on the 20th anniversary of canonization of St. Agnes of Bohemia. Was it just coincidence?
There were all kinds of years-long presumptions concerning the place where the remains had been placed. The restorers confirmed that the radar detected a probably half a meter long box and two metallic objects under the ground, perhaps the royal seal and the abbess.
Agnes Premyslide(Czech: Anežka Přemyslovna) is a very important character for the Czech nation and her life was full of legends and mysteries. According to the 15th-century prophecy „the peaceful and happy times in the Czech lands will come when its people find the body of the blessed Agnes“. And what actually was the impulse to place the tomb in the Church of St. Castullus(Czech: Kostel sv. Haštala)? It was where St. Agnes made her monastic vow and therefore it was listed among the potential adepts for the hiding of her remains.
Resolution of the enigma
The restorers discovered a marlstone tablet under the wooden Baroque platform close to the altar which by all accounts corresponded to a medieval stone. However, the occurence of the grave or remains of St. Agnes has not been confirmed so the ar
cheologists cannot but continue to investigate. There are far more places where according to the legend the remains should be hidden. The mystery related to Agnes´ death has remained unsolved so far.
More curiosities
- The church was hit by several cannonballs during the siege of Prague by the Prussian troops in 1757. One of the cannonballs is said to have torn the picture on the main altar and has remained built-in inside of the presbytery wall until today.
- As we already mentioned in the previous article there used to be a graveyard around the church. It used to be located at the place of the present Haštalské Square. There was an archeological survey in 1993 during which graves from the period before the foundation of the Romanic church (located at the place of the contemporary St. Castullus Church) were discovered.
Lucie Niebauerová
Address:
Haštalské náměstí (Square),
Staré město (Old Town) – Praha 1
Public transport
Find a connection
GPS: 50°5′27.96″N, 14°25′27.84″E
Connection:
Bus: 133, l3 – Řásnovka – from here walk along Klášterská street around the Convent of St. Agnes , then walk to the right along Řásnovka street towards Haštalské Square
Tram: 8, 14, 26, 51, 54 – Dlouhá třída – from here walk to the left along Dlouhá street, turn left into the Rybná street after a few meters which will lead you to Haštalské Square
All about the St. Castullus Church (kostel sv. Haštala)
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