Petřín – St. Lawrence Church, Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary Chapel
There are several sacral monuments on Petřín Hill creating its unique scenery and atmosphere: St. Lawrence Church, Calvary Chapel, Holy Sepulchre and the Calvary. Now we will introduce these sights to you.
All about: Petrin Hill
St. Lawrence Church
The church was originally made of wood, gradually it turned into a Romanesque church made of opuka blocks. This material was chosen because opuka stone was mined on Petřín. It gained its Baroque appearance five hundred years later. The reconstruction of St. Lawrence Church was carried out based on the project of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer. However, the church was abolished under the reign of Francis II. The turning point was the year 1840 when the church was consecrated and opened again. In 1994 it became property of the Old Catholic Church. Inside the church there are paintings by Jan Claudius Monna and Václav Markovský, the statue of St. Lawrence above the western facade was made by Lederer in 1756. The current interior dominated by a hanging cross is the work of Jiří Pelcl.
Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre
There are several sacral monuments on Petřín Hill. Besides the already mentioned St. Lawrence Church we need to mention the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. This chapel was built in 1737 according to a chapel in Jerusalem. It contains a window which is positioned so that a sun beam falls right on the sacrificial stone located in the centre of the chapel during Eastern at 3 pm.. The frontal chapel wall is west-facing and it is decorated by the sgraffito Ressurection of Christ by J. Reidlen from 1936.
The Calvary:
The Calvary reminds the Christians of the Great Friday when Jesus was betrayed, questioned, tormented and had to undergo the distressful way underneath the cross and the final crussifixion. This Calvary with 14 stops is situated on Petřín Hill close to the Petřín Lookout Tower. The first Baroque chapels were built here between 1738-1740 and they still exist. The individual chapels (stops) diplay the way of Jesus Christ according to the Bible.
The Calvary Chapel is situated on the eastern side of the church. The chapel was built in 1737. It has gorgeous sgraffito decorations according to the design of a famous Czech painter Mikoláš Aleš.
Legend
The foundation of the church is accompanied by one of the Prague´s oldest legends. The sovereign Boleslav II saw a ghost who disliked the interferences and works performed in the wood (Petřín Hill) consecrated to God Perun. Then the ghost lit a sacred Perun´s flame and said „And again the folk will return to the old gods and in this place the fire of the sacred sacrifices will burn“. The Praguers were scared of the anger of the pagan gods and so they burnt bonfires on Petřín trying to pacify Perun with their sacrifices again. St. Adalbert advised to Prince Boleslav to build a church on Petřín and consecrate it to St. Lawrence who died as a myrtyr in fire. Boleslav obeyed and built the church. To make sure that Perun would not be angry they renamed Petřín to Laurenziberg, e.g. Lawrence Hill.
Adress
Petřín Gardens
Praha 1 – Malá Strana (Prague 1 – Lesser Town)
118 00
Transport Connection:
Tram: 9,12, 20, 22, 57 – Újezd station – then go by the fenicular to Petřín, then walk towards the Lookout Tower
Bus: 176, 510 – Švandovo divadlo station (then go by tram Nr. 12, 20 to Újezd station) – then go by the fenicular to Petřín, then walk towards the Lookout Tower
Bus: 143, 149, 176, 217 – Stadion Strahov station – then walk along the Strahov Dormitory towards Petřín
Metro – line B, Anděl station (then go by tram Nr. 12, 20 to Újezd station) – then go by the fenicular to Petřín, then walk towards the Lookout Tower
GPS: 50°4’58.79″N, 14°23’45.489″E
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All about: Petrin Hill
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