Prague Loreta - what objects are behind the magnificent façade. Prague Loreta - Catholic treasury of the Czech Republic Saint with a beard in Prague

Prague Loreta on the map of the Czech Republic

Prague Loreta - what is it?

The Prague Loreta appeared at a time when the Catholic Church was fighting for the expansion and strengthening of Catholicism in Europe and became a famous historical and cultural monument, which, without exaggeration, can be called the architectural pearl of the Czech Republic. Many tourists strive to get to Loretan Square, where two dominant attractions of the city are located - the majestic Cherninsky Palace and the amazingly beautiful Loreta.

Sights of Prague Loreta

Loreto Square

The square got its name from the Loreta Church, which is part of the complex. From this site there is a beautiful view of all the buildings located here.

In the Loreta complex, in addition to the Czernin Palace, the Treasury and the Holy Hut, there is the Chapel of St. Anne, the Chapel of St. Francis of Serafina, the Chapel of St. Joseph, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, the Chapel of St. Antonin of Padua, the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Church of the Nativity.

Cherninsky Palace

The monumental Cherninsky Palace was built under the leadership of the famous Italian architect Francesco Caratti with money from the imperial ambassador in Venice, Count Gumprecht Chernin. Its construction began in 1627, but the palace was never completed. In 1741, the French and Bavarian troops that occupied Prague wanted to destroy this amazing structure, but, thank God, this did not happen and until the mid-19th century the palace housed barracks, stables and warehouses.

Holy Shack

Loreta is one of Prague's shrines and a place that fully reflects the rich history and culture of the Czech state. Pilgrims from all over the Catholic world strive to get here.

Here is the Holy Hut, in which, according to legend, the Virgin Mary lived. It was built with the money of a wealthy noblewoman, and a large number of pilgrims from all over Europe began to come here.

Therefore, it became necessary to create a gallery around the Hut. As a result, an amazingly beautiful complex of buildings appeared, which is considered one of the longest in Prague. It is this complex of buildings, in the middle of which the Hut is located like in a box, that is called Loreta.

On the facade of Loreta you can see sculptures of the four evangelists and St. Anne, and on the bell tower, chimes with a unique mechanical device and 27 bells. Cast in 1653-1691 in Amsterdam by Claude Fremy, they now form a single mechanical system with chimes. The ringing of these bells, which are credited with healing properties, can still be heard today in Prague. Every hour in the monastery the hymn “We glorify you a thousand times,” dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is played.

Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows

The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows is famous for its unusual sculpture depicting a woman with a beard, the patroness of women unhappy in marriage.

This is an image of the holy martyr Starosta, a girl who did not want to obey the will of her father, the King of Portugal, and marry the heir to the throne of Sicily. The girl spent her nights praying for heavenly help and grew a beard. The planned wedding was disrupted, and the father ordered the rebellious daughter to be crucified.

Church of the Nativity of the Lord

The church is part of the Loreta complex. This is a beautiful building with extraordinary vaults, painted frescoes, a large number of sculptural decorations, a beautiful Renaissance altar and an amazing organ. The skeletons of Saints Felicissimo and Marcia are kept here in luxurious outfits, their faces covered with death masks.

Treasury of Loreta

In Loreta there is a Treasury with liturgical objects, church utensils and other religious things - beautiful icons with gold frames, decorated with precious stones, monstrances and other relics of the 16th-18th centuries. In terms of the number of valuables, this collection is second only to Cathedral of St. Vita.

Of greatest interest is the extraordinary monstrance, which is called the “Prague Sun”. It weighs 12 kilograms, is made of an alloy of precious metals and is decorated with a scattering of diamonds. This work of art is 89.5 centimeters high, made in the form of a rock on which stands a small figure of the Virgin Mary. Golden rays emanate from her head, on which there are 6,222 diamonds. Loreta's oldest object is a Gothic bowl made in 1510.

Loreta today

Czech Loreta is one of the most, it is a shrine that everyone who finds themselves in this beautiful and amazing country should see.

The Prague Loreta is a rare case of a copy surpassing the original. Conceived as an imitation of the Holy Hut, which is located in Italian Loreto and is one of the main Christian shrines, Loreta in Prague turned into a huge complex of beautiful buildings, which quickly became an object of pilgrimage.

What is the Holy Hut and how did it end up in Europe

Helen, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, is known as the spreader of Christianity. She conducted excavations in Jerusalem and it is believed that Christians owe it to her for the discovery of the Holy Sepulcher and other important relics. According to legend, she discovered a house in Nazareth where the future Mother of God, then simply Mary, lived, and where she received the news that she was destined to give birth to the Messiah.

Elena ordered to build a church over this hut. The temple was destroyed by the Saracens in the 13th century, and the holy house was also under threat. It is assumed that the savior of the hut was Nikephoros I, who ruled in the lands where Greece and Albania are now located. It was probably he who organized the transportation of the house to the territory of present-day Croatia, and from there the structure, in a way unknown to science, ended up in the Italian city of Loreto. Most likely, a Roman couple did this. Be that as it may, archaeologists confirm that part of the wall of the hut is identical to Mary’s house.

In Italy, a basilica was built around the hut, and the place became a popular pilgrimage destination. And then Loreto churches also began to be built in other European cities.

Construction of Loreta in Prague

The pious and devout aristocrat Katerina Benigna from Lobkowice wanted to have a copy of the Holy Hut in Prague. Or rather, she didn’t even want a copy, but a copy of a copy, since the model for the Prague Loreta was not the Italian one, but the Loreta from Mikulov. Katerina forked out the cash, provided her own land for construction, hired the Viennese architect Giovanni Orsi, and transferred the management of the future church to the Capuchin Order in advance. Construction began in 1626, and it is believed that building materials from Italian Loreta were used in symbolic quantities.

The hut was decorated with frescoes and figures, and a church was built around it, which was consecrated in 1631. But the construction was not completed there - for example, a composition of three dozen bells was assembled only in 1694, and Prague residents heard the first music of these instruments a year later.

Like the original Loreta, the Holy Hut in the Czech capital has become a place of pilgrimage. This became the key to endless expansion and constant reconstruction - and as a result, the complex of buildings in Prague surpassed the original. In the thirties of the 18th century, Kilian Dientzenhofer decorated Loreta with a magnificent Baroque façade, and around the same time the Loreta Treasury, a collection of important artifacts and jewelry, was formed. Repairs and reconstructions continued until the last century.

Complex concept

Today Loreta is a closed perimeter building, built around a courtyard with the hut itself, which is the center of the complex and built over the tomb of the Lobkowitz family. Around the courtyard there is a gallery, whose arches are decorated with frescoes; there are also six chapels and two fountains.

On the same axis with the Holy Hut are the tower and the Church of the Nativity of Christ, which has been repeatedly reconstructed. Installed on the tower chimes, the device of which includes the same bells. Their range is three octaves, and every hour the mechanism performs hymn to the Virgin Mary.

Some buildings of the complex deserve a separate description.

Holy hut

The outside of the Holy House itself is decorated with reliefs of scenes from the life of the Madonna, sculptures and paintings. The marble reliefs are made using the stucco technique and are barely distinguishable from the painting, and one of them tells the legend that the house was allegedly transported from Palestine by angels. There is even an artificial crack in the hut, which is made in imitation of the Italian Loreta, which was damaged by lightning.

Inside are silver altar and an ancient wooden statue of the main character of all this splendor. Figure of the Virgin Mary made of linden, so it turned black over the centuries, becoming similar to the Italian example made of cedar.

Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows

This most remarkable of all the chapels in the complex is decorated with the oldest sculptural composition in all of Loreta. We are talking about a Gothic drink - this is the name given to images of the scene of Mary mourning the body of Christ lying on her lap. Pieta of Loreta dates back to the first half of the 15th century.

On the altar of this chapel is woman crucifix with mustache and beard. This is the holy Starosta, who, according to legend, asked God to help avoid an unwanted marriage with a pagan. The Lord gave her abundant facial hair so that the groom himself would refuse such a bride. It worked - the marriage ended. But the Starosta’s father, who ordered her to be crucified, was also upset - so she became a martyr for the faith.

Church of the Nativity of Christ

This temple is a classic example of Baroque, in the interior of which Rococo is clearly visible. The main altar is decorated with a Christmas-themed painting and statues. The side altars are smaller, but no less luxurious. They are also decorated with sculptures and angels; they contain the remains of two Christian martyrs of the 3rd century.

The picture is complemented by a vault with valuable paintings - this frescoes"The Birth of the Lord", "The Presentation of the Lord" and "The Adoration of the Three Kings". In front of the facade there is a terrace surrounded by a balustrade with statues of angels, and the dominant facade element is a tower with chimes and bells. They can be controlled either by a mechanical system that plays the hymn hourly, or manually by a live musician.

Treasury

The basis of this collection of valuable things was the property donated by Catherine, the founder of the complex. There were so many of them that they had to build a separate treasury. Most of the items date back to the 17th-18th centuries, and the oldest of them is a goblet in the Gothic style, made in 1510. The collection consists of a variety of church utensils, works on religious themes and liturgical objects.

The main exhibit of the treasury is the so-called Prague sun. This is a diamond vessel for storing the Holy Gifts, 90 centimeters high. It is made of gold and silver, decorated with 6222 diamonds and weighs 12 kilograms.

Despite the fact that the Prague Loreta was conceived as another copy, it turned out to be a unique and inimitable architectural complex filled with works of high art.

Hello, friends. This time we will tell you about a whole complex of Baroque buildings that were created thanks to the faith of one resident of Prague. His fame resounds throughout Europe. This is Prague Loreta.

Administrative district Prague 1. Historical district.

First, let's look at the name. Loreta or Prague Loreta (Pražská Loreta) is the abbreviated name of the Church of the Nativity of the Lord (Kostel Narození Páně), located in Hradcany on Loretan Square.

Loreta is a complex of buildings. It includes:

• Church of the Nativity of Christ
• Loretan Treasury
• Some other buildings

This complex began in 1626, when Baroness Katharina Benina from Lobkowice wanted to build a copy of the hut of the Virgin Mary, located on the territory of the Italian city of Loreto.

She allocated money and land for construction. She even called a master from Vienna herself. The hut was built, and a church was also built next to it.

Then, after the Battle of , when the Protestants were defeated and the Catholics of the Czech Republic took control of the city, the Catholic Church began to actively attract people into the fold of Catholicism.

Not right away, but that’s how it happened. The monastery began to attract pilgrims; the need arose to expand the complex of buildings, which was done. The complex acquired baroque features by the 1730s.

A little earlier, another important detail appeared, without which it is now impossible to imagine the complex.

By 1694, a composition of 30 bells and small bells had been compiled for Loreta. The famous watchmaker Peter Neumann worked on it.

As a result, the Prague Loreta surpassed the Italian structure in scale. So let's take a closer look at the buildings included in this large-scale complex.

Holy Hut of the Virgin Mary

Let's start with the Holy Hut, which the townspeople themselves call “a pearl in a box,” hinting at its central location among the buildings of the complex.

The first stone of the hut was laid by Baroness Katharina herself. Inside, this building is richly decorated with bas-reliefs using the stucco (artificial marble) technique. The main treasures here are the silver altar and the statue of Mary of Loreto. Six chapels were built around the hut, as well as 2 fountains.

Church of the Nativity of Christ

The Church of the Nativity of Christ was consecrated in 1737, but work on it continued for another year after that. This building is famous for its main altar, decorated with a painting.

There are also two smaller altars there. They contain the skeletons of the martyrs Felikissimus and Agapitus.

The building of the Church of the Nativity of the Lord is decorated with frescoes and sculptures in the Rococo style.

Famous collection

Now let's move on to the treasury. The first exhibits of the rich collection appeared thanks to Katarina herself. A significant part of the treasures did not survive the war, but the Loreta collection is still considered one of the most extensive collections in the country.

One of the oldest relics kept here is a medieval Gothic silver bowl.

Not inferior to it in value is the ebony altar.

Among the most significant items is a monstrance weighing 12 kilograms with 6222 diamonds. It is called the “Prague Sun”. It is used exclusively on major holidays.

About the chapel

In the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, you may be surprised by the strange sculpture of a woman with a beard. This holy Elder.

A miracle happened to the girl, but it did not bring happiness. The headman did not want to marry someone she didn’t love. One day she prayed all night so that this would not happen. In the morning she grew a mustache and beard. The wedding did not take place, and the girl’s father ordered her to be crucified.

Since then, this martyr has been considered the patroness of women who did not find happiness in marriage.

Divine sounds

There is also a carillon (bells with a keyboard mechanism) in Loreta. He was located in the clock tower. The watchmaker was responsible for assembling the carillon. Residents of Prague consider the sounds from this bell tower to be healing.

Working hours

• from November to the end of March - every day from 9:30 to 16:00
• the rest of the time - from 9:00 to 17:00.

What is the price

• Entrance costs 150 CZK, with a discount – 130 CZK.
• There is an audio guide in Russian

Website: www.loreta.cz

How to get there

• By tram
  Nos. 22 and 91 to the stop Brusnice, Pražský hrad or Pohořelec.
• Metro
  Take the green line to Malostranská station. It's further to walk from here than from the tram.

Address: Loretánské nám. 7/100

Prague Loreta on the map

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Hello, friends! Loreta in Prague is an iconic place in Hradcany. Pilgrims come here because the center of the complex is the Holy House, similar to the Holy Hut in the Italian city of Loreto. Prague Loreta is visited with interest by tourists who want to see the Prague Sun - the diamond monstrance, which is kept in the treasury of the complex. Precious shrines and the richly decorated Church of the Nativity are hidden behind the baroque façade of the Loreto complex:

For the second year in a row, the façade is being restored. The photograph shows the condition of the building after major work was completed in 2015. This summer, the façade is still covered in scaffolding, but gold trim has been added to the center. And although restoration work is actively underway, excursions are held in Loreta, since everything that visitors are so eager to see is located inside the complex:

You can’t just pop into Loreta for an hour, because there are a lot of things here that you’ll want to take a closer look at. It will take an hour just to continuously listen to the audio guide, moving from one object to another. When talking about Loreta, you definitely need to take into account all its components:

• General idea of ​​the complex and the ringing of the chimes
• Interior including Holy House and Church
• Loretta

There is a lot of information, so I will present it gradually, and in this article I want to address the following questions:

1. Where is Loreta in Prague?
2. General idea of ​​the Loreto complex
3. The chimes and their legend

Where is Prague Loreta?

I already mentioned at the beginning that Loreta is located in the historical district of Prague, which is called. But even taking into account the small area of ​​the area, it doesn’t hurt to know how to get to the desired object.

It is convenient to get to Loreta from both Prague Castle and Strahov Monastery. From the central gate of Prague Castle, follow all the way to exit onto Loretan Street. By the way, when I described this square, I also showed the exit to this street. Look if necessary. Having followed the old street almost to the end, you will see Loreta on the right:

The facade of the complex overlooks Loretan Square and looks at the Cherninsky Palace. The palace will also be your landmark if you go to Loreta from. Everything is quite simple there - cross the street and Pohorzelec Square, and you will already be able to see the Loreta towers.

General description of the Loretan complex

The ensemble of Loreta was created around the Holy House starting from the 17th century. The inspiration for the construction on Czech soil of a copy of the hut that, according to legend, was carried by angels from Palestine to Italy, was Countess Katharina Benigna of Lobkowice. You will see her portrait at the entrance to Loreta’s treasury:

The Holy House in Prague was built in 1626-27. architect Giovanni Battisto Orsi. The structure of regular geometric shapes with rich sculptural decoration is located in the center of the courtyard of the complex:

You can only look at the Holy House, and even more so, visit it during an excursion. Standing in front of the facade, it is impossible to see the pilgrimage site. But it should be said that the facade of Loreta, made in the Baroque style, deserves attention.

The facade was designed by the famous Baroque architect Christoph Dientzenhofer, and his son Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer continued the work. The facade was created almost a hundred years later than the Holy House was built. If the cloister with chapels around the hut was erected immediately according to Orsi’s design by 1634, then the facade was only being outlined at that time. At the beginning of the 18th century, Christoph Dientzenhofer rebuilt the cloister and took on the façade, which was completed in 1724.

The façade of Loreta is lavishly decorated with Baroque sculptures. On the central balcony above the entrance to the complex there are statues of John the Baptist and Joseph:

Numerous sculptures, the authorship of various famous sculptors of the time, are placed on the pediments and in the niches of the side chapels. The chapels are dedicated to Anthony of Padua and Francis of Assisi. If you look at the facade of Loreta, then on the left is this chapel:

The chapels can be considered the latest components of the Loreto complex. If a small façade of a completely different type was erected in front of the Holy Hut during the construction of the cloister surrounding it, then the corner chapels were completed by K.I. Dientzenhofer. Baroque pediment of the chapel on the right:

There is a terrace in front of the façade. Since Loreta is located on a hillside, and the façade is perpendicular to this slope, the terrace is beautifully complemented by a balustrade:

There are about two dozen sculptures of angels on the terrace. All the sculptures of angels and saints located on the facade were replaced with copies, since the originals were made of sandstone and were badly damaged over several centuries. In front of the treasury on the second floor is a pair of original sculptures of angels, blackened by exposure to climatic conditions.

The central and main element of the facade is the Loreto Bell Tower, the construction of which was completed in 1693:

Every hour, starting at 9.00 and until 18.00, a melody is heard from the Loretan bell tower. This is played by an unusual musical instrument created from bronze bells of different sizes - a carillon. This tower contains 30 bells, which were cast in 1694 in Amsterdam by master Claudius Fremy.

The ringing of the carillon and its legend

The carillon on the Prague Loreta tower has been sounding for 320 years. I heard the ringing of bells several times both while visiting Loreta and just walking around Hradcany. But news has just appeared that from August 23, 2016. The carillon has temporarily fallen silent, as the handle used to control the ringing of the bells has broken... Repair work is planned to be carried out within two weeks, and the bells will again play the tenderly solemn melody “We glorify you a thousand times.”

Listen to the melody performed by the Loretan carillon. 27 bells are used in the musical glorification of the Virgin Mary. Please note that the bells remain stationary, and the sound is created by tapping them with hammers:

During the tour of Loreta, if you take care of the audio guide, you will hear the sad legend about the creation of this melody. I'll tell you briefly.

At the time when Loreta was built, a poor widow lived nearby in the New World quarter, who had as many children as there were bells on the tower. And the woman’s wealth was only a handful of silver coins.

A terrible epidemic came to Prague and began to kill people. The widow's eldest son could not cope with the disease. Having buried her child, the mother came to Loreta and, paying with a coin, ordered a funeral bell. And the biggest bell sounded. But this was only the beginning of the grief that befell the poor woman and her children. One after another, her children left, and the mother could only see them off on their last journey with the ringing of bells.

She was the last one to fall ill and thought bitterly that there would be no one to even order the last bell ringing for her... And as soon as this thought came to her, suddenly a gentle and sad melody sounded in the bell tower. All the bells rang at the same time, producing such a beautiful melody that the woman closed her eyes with a smile on her lips, and people stopped to listen to this hymn to motherhood...

You can accept this legend, or you can pragmatically say that the melody has an author, it was created under different circumstances and is called the melody of the Loreto Litany. But that’s not what’s important... The melody sounds before the chimes of Loreta, which were created by watchmaker Peter Neumann:

Friends, when visiting Prague, go to Loreta. Moreover, the walk to the Loretan complex is no more than 10 minutes. Maybe you will visit this complex, or perhaps just examine the façade and listen to the musical chimes. In any case, you will remember this attraction.

Just in case, I’ll tell you Loreta’s opening hours: the complex is open daily from 9.00 to 17.00 from April to October and reduces opening hours by half an hour in winter. From 12 to 13 o'clock there is a break. Ticket price is 150 CZK, the audio guide costs the same.

In fact, I have just begun my story about Loretta. The main values ​​of the complex are located behind this entrance:

Your euro guide Tatyana

Recently, excursion tourism has become increasingly popular. Many people are already tired of a beach holiday and prefer to spend their holiday actively. And the leading place in the list of the most visited cities is not occupied by the capital of France or Italy, but by the city of Prague. And this is quite understandable. Affordable prices, a variety of attractions, many Gothic castles and Baroque palaces, narrow streets and […]

Recently, excursion tourism has become increasingly popular. Many people are already tired of a beach holiday and prefer to spend their holiday actively.

And this is quite understandable. Reasonable prices, a variety of attractions, many Gothic castles and Baroque palaces, narrow streets and huge squares attract guests here. After all, there are so many interesting places here that every tourist will definitely find something of his own, close to him.

For example, Prague Loretta. This complex was built at the beginning of the 17th century on Hradcany. It includes several buildings. The main element is the hut. This is a small structure, built to remind us of the conditions in which the Virgin Mary lived in Nazareth. She is decorated with statues that represent scenes from the life of the Holy Virgin.

In addition, the complex includes the Church of the Virgin Mary (otherwise known as the Church of the Birth of God) and the Chapel of the Holy Elder. Both of these buildings were built in the Baroque style. Their authors and builders were the best Czech masters, which is why the buildings became real masterpieces. The façade of the Prague Loretta complex is also very interestingly designed. Every hour, the 30 bells that are installed in the Parga Loretta begin their chime.

The Loreto treasury contains many valuables, including the famous “Prague Sun” monster decorated with diamonds.

Near Loretta there is a Capuchin monastery. They contain the complex. Every tourist can visit it.

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