Going over these older posts in my blog has been a great feeling of wonderful proportions. Travel is nice but even more the memories of it are awesome. Seeing these beauties brings joy to me and I hope to you too. Thanks for reading me.
I like to bring you an older post that I am updating apart two churches. Here I will do Saint James Basilica of Prague. Hope you enjoy as I do.
Ok so back to a very nice city of Prague. I have been 3 times over the last 9 years and it has been memorable. You know all the famous spots and I have written on some in previous blog posts. I happened to stumbled on it doing my walks of Prague.
The Saint James Basilica is located in the old town. This massive three-aisled basilica with a long, high chancel is the third longest church building in Prague. The Church of St James was founded in 1232,it was rebuilt in a Baroque style after the destruction in 1689 by a fire in the pre-Gothic building in the 18C. It is a convent Church of the Monastery of Conventual Minor Friars.
The St James Basilica was built in the 13C for the Franciscans presbytery. It was built in the Gothic architecture style. The foundation of this church is related to the acquisition of the relics of Ottokar I of Bohemia. The exact location of this original church and it appearance are not known. The church was destroyed in a fire in 1689. The fire is believed to have been started by people working for king Louis XIV of France. When it was rebuilt, it was rebuilt in the Baroque architecture style. The rebuilding included the addition of over 20 altars.
The St James Basilica is the final resting place for Count Vratislav of Mitrovice, Bohemian Chancellor of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, who died in Vienna in 1712, but whose remains were transferred to Prague in 1714 after the completion of the magnificent baroque tomb. There is also a mummified forearm to the right of the tomb entrance, dating back over 400 years. The arm is the arm of a jewel thief who tried to steal from the high altar, which has a statue of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that when the thief tried to steal the jewels, Mary grabbed his arm and would not let go, therefore his arm was cut off by monks.
The original organ dates from 1702. Over the centuries the organ underwent changes. In 1754 the first reconstruction took place, again this took place in 1906. Another intervention took place in 1941. The organ then was adapted for modern composition. The last major reconstruction was carried between 1981-82.
Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are
The official Basilica St James in Czech language: http://praha.minorite.cz/index.php?m=12
The Prague tourist office on the St James Basilica in English: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/100/basilica-of-st-james-bazilika-sv-jakuba
The Czech Republic tourist board on the St James Basilica of Prague in English: https://www.visitczechrepublic.com/en-US/0b5668f2-6bb1-4665-81ca-0801f68f2723/place/c-prague-st-james-basilica
There you go nice off the beaten path monument of nice Prague not to miss indeed. There is much to see but these are included in my top things to see there. Hope you enjoy it
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
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