Capuchin monastery in Hradčany, Capuchin monastery in Hradčany, Czech Republic

The Capuchin Monastery in Hradčany is a working religious house on Loretánské náměstí in Prague 1, close to Prague Castle. The building is plain and low, with no towers or ornate decoration, following the Capuchin tradition of keeping architecture as simple as possible.

Lawrence of Brindisi, then general of the Capuchin order and later canonised, founded the monastery in 1600, making it the oldest Capuchin house in Bohemia. The convent went up over the 17th and early 18th centuries. Prussian artillery damaged it in 1757 while bombarding Prague, and cannonballs kept on site recall that. The SS ran a prison here under the Protectorate, the friars were expelled in the early 1950s and Czechoslovak counterintelligence took over; since the early 1990s the friars are back.

The Capuchins also serve as spiritual administrators of the neighbouring Prague Loreta, and an elevated connecting corridor links the two buildings. The monastery church holds a wooden and straw Nativity scene from 1780, a relief Stations of the Cross by Karel Stádník and a statue of the Virgin Mary of Hradčany. The 13th chapel of the Holy Way from Prague to Stará Boleslav, founded 1674–1690, was dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Hradčany.

Loretánské náměstí is easy to reach on foot from Prague Castle and is often visited as part of a walk through Hradčany. Because this is an active monastery, access to the interior is limited, and visitors are expected to behave quietly and with respect.

The monastery's refectory has hosted regular charity evenings since spring 2010, and part of the building now houses believing students from Prague universities. The church also holds a wooden and straw Nativity scene from 1780 and a relief Stations of the Cross by Karel Stádník.