The initial design of St. Joseph's church by Karel Pařík was based on the design for a neo-Romanesque church given to Archbishop Ivan Šarić by Pope Pius XI. Work began on the construction of church in 1936, and the building was consecrated on 31 March 1940.
In plan the church is a triple-aisled basilica with transept. Below the sanctuary is a crypt containing the tomb of Archbishop Ivan Šarić. There are a further fifteen tombs in the south, west and east walls of the church. The church was painted by Josip Podolski in 1939, and the original stained glass windows were designed by Ivan Marinkocić. The stained glass at the west end and in the apse was destroyed by an explosion in 1945, but later restored. The high altar of St. Joseph and the terracotta Stations of the Cross were a gift from Pope Pius XII. The sculptor Franjo Rebhan carved the side altars and the tombs in the crypts.
The church was damaged during the 1992–1995 war, after which it underwent structural repairs, with conservation and restoration work being carried out on the murals and stained glass.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.