Church of St. Ludmila in Prague - a cozy square in the city center
The Church of St. Ludmila in Prague is a place where there is nothing superfluous. Peace Square, over which the church is dominated by its height, is decorated in the middle with a neat park.
There is a small square in the center of the park. It is used by merchants at every glorious occasion, for example, at Christmas or Easter. And around the church, along the perimeter of Peace Square, there are parking pockets, several good cafes and cafeterias.
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Church of St. Ludmila in Prague
And nothing more. No capital buildings, no famous monuments, nothing that would attract crowds of tourists here. Low population is the first thing that catches your eye here. The beer museum doesn't count. Its visitors do not have the bad habit of looking at neo-Gothic basilicas and admiring the richness of the interiors, on which the best Czech masters of that time worked..
The temple was already built according to modern (for 1884) technologies. All elements characteristic of the Gothic (ribs, flying buttresses and buttresses with pinnacles) were used purely for decorative purposes. By the way, google what all these words mean, then you can show your erudition in front of your companions during the inspection. And knowing this yourself is also useful if you are going to Prague..
Church of St. Ludmila in Prague
The church is dedicated to the first Czech martyr for the Christian faith, Lyudmila, but I will write about this in a little more detail in the section below. From personal impressions: a very beautiful church. Quiet area, neat, green, uncrowded, with benches and free Wi-Fi. There are public transport stops very close to the square, including the metro..
In general, there is a very cozy, pacifying atmosphere of an old church in the center of a large city. Looking for a place where you can hide from the crowds and be alone with yourself and old Prague? The Church of St. Ludmila is quite suitable for this. Even on Christmas Eve, when the Christmas market takes place in the square, there are no crowds.
Historical reference
Ludmila was the wife of the first Christian prince of Bohemia. Prince Borzhivoi died, the principality went to his eldest son. The elder gave his soul to God in 915, and the second son of Borzhivoi, Vratislav, came to power after him. Vratislav married Dagomira, who was baptized, but worshiped pagan gods.
These two had sons. Vaclav, whom Lyudmila (being his grandmother) took care of and raised in the spirit of Christianity. And Boleslav, whom Dagomira brought up as a pagan. Vaclav took over the reign by seniority, but in fact, Lyudmila was in charge..
Despite the general love of the people for Lyudmila and her methods of management, Dagomira took a chance and ordered two murderers to her daughter-in-law. In 921, on the night of September 15-16, Lyudmila was strangled with her own veil. Which later became a constant symbol of her martyrdom for her faith, which is reflected in images and sculpture.
Well, in general, since then (after canonization) Lyudmila Cheskaya has been revered as the patroness of grandmothers. This is if you very, very briefly retell the whole legend about this, apparently, a good man.
Information to visit
The entrance is free. But the temple is open only during services, I personally did not get inside, so the photo is only outside.
On the map
Church of St. Ludmila
Church of St. Ludmila
Catholic church in the neo-gothic style, which was built in 1888-1892. Dedicated to the wife of the Czech prince Borjivoi I, who made a significant contribution to the development of Christianity and was strangled by the pagans during her prayer.
More about the temple.
Catholic church in the neo-gothic style, which was built in 1888-1892. Dedicated to the wife of the Czech prince Borjivoi I, who made a significant contribution to the development of Christianity and was strangled by the pagans during her prayer. More about the temple.