The red sandstone facade of St. Ignatius’s rises up in the midst of the low houses of the old city in Kapuzinerstrasse. The church was constructed between 1763 and 1774 to the plans of Johann Peter Jäger, namely in place of the old church of a suburb enclosed within the city wall after 1200.
The church shows an impressive interplay of baroque, as the expression of joy in faith, and classicism, as the expression of reason. Luxuriant stucco works and puttos appear between the strict lines of classicism. Ceiling frescos relate the life and death of St. Ignatius. They were originally by the baroque painter Johann Baptist Enderle, but were later touched up several times. The classicist organ casing (1774-81) above the main entrance is worth of seeing, the organ itself dates from 1837.
Under the church is a crypt in which, apart from clergymen and members of the parish, the church’s architect, stucco worker and carpenter have also been laid to rest. The towerless church is surrounded by a parish garden in which the large crucifixion group, the tomb of the sculptor Hans Backoffen (died 1519) and a Gothic wooden crucifix are to be seen.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.