Inside_Outside: Prague Crossroads

Prague Crossroads is located in a recently deconsecrated church (formerly known as St. Lawrence’s Church), which was originally established by St. Vaclav in 927 A.D., in Zlatá Street (entrance from Liliová Street) at Prague’s Old Town Square.

Built in 1316, St. Anna’s Church stands at the foot of the Charles Bridge in the Old Town of Prague. The church maintains most of its timber roofing, a unique example of an original Gothic truss system. Wall paintings from that period also, remarkably, remain. Emperor Charles IV commissioned the interior decoration and it was carried out by members of his imperial court workshops, thought to include the Master Theodoric. Subsequent painted additions by Renaissance and baroque artists created a series of frescoes that reflect the flow of Czech artistic styles.

In 1782, St. Anna’s Church became one of many Catholic structures converted to secular use by the Emperor Joseph II as part of his reformation program. Over the last 200 years it was used as an industrial building that housed printing machinery and then as a warehouse. Three floors were installed within to tailor the church to its new function, blocking the vault from view, damaging murals, and disrupting the timber configuration from the 1730s. An unsound arch collapsed in the early 1880s and no reconstruction was attempted until 1989, when insensitive renovations removed pieces of the original Gothic truss.

St. Anna’s Church is a grand example of Prague Gothic architecture of the Luxembourg period. Because of the adaptive reuse solution, the church continues to represent its history while serving a positive, modern function. During the course of the project, the insensitive additions were removed, the murals were conserved, and both the interior and exterior were fully refurbished. With the aid of WMF (World Monuments Fund), the church was transformed into a functioning community center, becoming a part of the Prague Crossroads Program to promote cultural dialogue. St. Ann’s is now the home of that organization and functions as a performance space. The 400 seated guests for concerts, lectures, and public forums can look up and see the original Gothic nave.

It was one of the few churches in Prague which wasn’t plundered by the Hussites. In 1553 Václav Hájek of Libocany was buried there. In 1782 during the reign of emperor Josef II the church was abolished and deconsecrated. Until 1795 the monastery was used as residential house, then it was converted into printing works. Around 1876 four wooden storeys were constructed inside the former church. During the 20th century it served as a warehouse. Nevertheless, some fragments of valuable 14th century murals and the original gothic roof are preserved.

In 2002-2004 a great restoration of the church took place as part of the project Prague Crossroads. The wooden storeys were removed and the church is now used by Foundation Vize 97 of Dagmar and Václav Havel and it serves for various cultural events such as concerts and conferences.

However, the reconstruction of the Prague Crossroads is still ongoing. In recent years, for example, the restorers who were working on the renovation of the unique frescos in the former church succeeded in finding unrivaled paintings from the 14th century of exceptional artistic quality and scope which are comparable to similar works at Karlštejn or in St. Vitus’ Cathedral. In the future, the Foundation VIZE 97 is planning a highly demanding reconstruction of the church roof and facade.