Church of Our Lady before Týn

Týn church, also known as the Church of Our Lady before Týn, is the main church of the Old Town and one of the most important churches in Prague. Its name ‚Týn‘ refers to the closed courtyard Týn or Ungelt found in between the streets Týnská, Štupartská and Malá Štupartská where from the 12th century the latest foreign merchants came with their precious goods; after paying a fee (called ungeld) they were under the protection of the king himself. There used to stock rooms, stables, comfortable accommodation facilities and also a hospital with a Romanesque church of Our Lady. On the site of this small Týn church the construction of a spectacular peak Gothic triple-naved basilica was started in the third quarter of the 14th century.

The church can be accessed through three Gothic portals: the main (west) one goes through the building of the Týn school to the Old Town Square, south one leads to the Týn Presbytery in Celetná Street and the northern one to the Týnská Street. The north portal has rich sculptural decorations including a relief of the Suffering of Christ, is one of the most precious Gothic monuments in the whole Bohemia. The façade window with Gothic decorations is also exceptional as well as the traceries of windows in the main nave.

The church interior is mostly Baroque. There are some remainders from the Gothic equipment such as the tin font from 1414 (the oldest in Prague), a stone pulpit, two sedilia with consoles in the shape of crowned heads and most importantly, the late Gothic baldachine by Matěj Rejsek from 1493, originally located above the tomb of bishop of Augustine Lucian of Mirandola. Gothic sculptures of Madonna with baby Jesus from around 1420 and the Calvary from the beginning of the 15th century (probably by the same author) are also outstanding masterpieces. Inside the church there is a valuable set of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque tombs with the most famous one belonging to Danish astronomer Tycho de Brahe.