Church of Saint Henry and Saint Cunigunde, Gothic church in New Town, Prague, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Henry and Saint Cunigunde is a Gothic, four-bay hall church with three aisles of equal height, located near the corner of Jindřišská and Jeruzalemská streets. Its exterior shows rough, unfinished masonry from Josef Mocker's 1875 regothicization, and cannonballs from the 1757 Prussian bombardment are still lodged in the vaults.
Construction began in 1348 as part of Emperor Charles IV's plan to expand Prague by founding the New Town. This project was a major undertaking in medieval city development and shaped the area for centuries.
The church is named after Emperor Henry II and his wife Cunigunde. The main altarpiece by Jan Jiří Heinsch shows Henry as protector of Prague during the Swedish siege and Cunigunde walking on red-hot ploughshares to prove her innocence. The Chapel of St Barbara, built in 1672, holds a 1673 painting of the saint by Matěj Zimprecht.
The church stands near the corner of Jindřišská and Jeruzalémská streets, with the free-standing Jindřišská bell tower beside it. The former churchyard around the building was dissolved in 1787 and turned into a small park; old gravestones are set into the facade and the entrance area. Three parishes hold services here: Czech, Slovak and Hungarian.
The adjacent Jindřišská Tower is the largest independent bell tower in Prague and rises high above the surrounding area. The tower served historically as an important landmark that helped people navigate through the city.
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