Church of Saint Catherine, Baroque church in New Town, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Catherine is a Baroque building with an octagonal floor plan built in Prague's New Town during the 18th century. A slender tower rises above the roofline and connects to the surrounding monastery complex.
Emperor Charles IV founded the convent in 1355 as thanks for his victory at San Felice on Saint Catherine's feast day; the church was consecrated in 1367. Hussites burned it in 1420, leaving only the tower. Rebuilt from 1518 to 1522, it passed to Augustinian monks in 1565 and was dissolved under Joseph II in 1783.
The name honors Saint Catherine of Alexandria, to whom the community dedicated the building. The church sits within an Augustinian monastery complex and shows how religious communities lived and gathered in the city.
The church stands in Kateřinská Street, in the park of the Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice between Karlovo náměstí and náměstí I. P. Pavlova, not on Viničná. The Orthodox parish holds services here; the 51.3 m tower is best seen from the park paths.
The 51.3-metre tower survived the Hussite assault of 25 May 1420: when the attackers tried to demolish it, falling masonry killed part of the group and the tower stood. Its upper storeys form an octagon, hence the nickname "Prague minaret".
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