Church of Saint John of Nepomuk, Baroque church in Hradčany district, Prague, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is a Baroque hall church on an oval plan, unusually oriented toward the west, at the corner of U kasáren and Kanovnická streets in Hradčany. Its facade is dominated by a clock tower with a niche holding a statue of Saint John between angels; above the main entrance are two copies of allegorical statues from Václav Matěj Jäckl's workshop. The vault, closed with a Czech flat vault, carries Václav Vavřinec Reiner's illusionistic fresco of the saint's life and miracles.
The foundation stone was laid on 20 October 1720, with Kryštof Dientzenhofer leading the work until his death in 1722, when his son Kilián Ignác took over; it was his first sacred building. The church was completed in 1728 and consecrated in 1729 by Archbishop František Ferdinand of Kuenburg. It replaced the chapel of St Anne after the 1701 healing of Terezie Veronika Krebsová, the first of four miracles attributed to St John.
The church honors Saint John of Nepomuk, a figure deeply rooted in Czech religious tradition and local identity. Visitors notice religious imagery and decorations throughout that tell the story of this important saint.
The church stands at the corner of U kasáren and Kanovnická streets, about 200 metres from Hradčanské náměstí near Nový Svět. It is used by the chaplaincy of the Czech Army and serves as a place of prayer for fallen soldiers and world peace.
The church's interior is covered by a single large illusionistic fresco by Václav Vavřinec Reiner, painted in 1728, showing the most extensive cycle of the legend and miracles of Saint John of Nepomuk. Among the scenes is the miraculous healing of the hand of Terezie Veronika Krebsová, the miracle that prompted the church's founding.
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