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St. Ignatius Church, Prague

Coordinates: 50°4′32″N 14°25′16″E / 50.07556°N 14.42111°E / 50.07556; 14.42111
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St. Ignatius Church
Czech: Kostel svatého Ignáce
The church, in 2006
St. Ignatius Church is located in Central Prague
St. Ignatius Church
St. Ignatius Church
Location of the church in central Prague
50°4′32″N 14°25′16″E / 50.07556°N 14.42111°E / 50.07556; 14.42111
CountryCzech Republic
DenominationRoman Catholic
Religious orderJesuits
History
StatusChurch
DedicationSt. Ignatius of Loyola
Architecture
Functional statusBuilt
Architect(s)Carlo Lurago
Architectural typeBaroque
Groundbreaking1655
Completed1677

St. Ignatius Church (Czech: Kostel svatého Ignáce) is a Roman Catholic church, located in Charles Square, Prague, in the Czech Republic.

History

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The church was designed by Carlo Lurago in the early Baroque style, and built between 1655 and 1677.[1] The church was built as part of the new Nove Mesto residence of the city's Jesuits, the third largest Jesuit complex in Europe,[2] and dedicated to their patron saint and founder of the Jesuit Order, St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The top of the façade carries a statue of St. Ignatius Loyola, placed there in 1671, with a halo surrounding his whole body. This feature was considered controversial at the time it was installed, as such a decoration was only considered appropriate for statues of Jesus Christ.[2] The decorative painting of the exterior was carried out by Jan Jiří Heinsch and the sculpture work was that of Matěj Václav Jäckel.[2] The interior is characterised by stucco decoration and features statues of several Jesuit and Czech saints.[2] Many of the interior furnishings of the church date from around 1770,[1] added by Jesuit painter Ignác Raab, who lived briefly at the complex.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Church of St. Ignatius". prague.eu. City of Prague. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Church of St. Ignatius". Prague Guide. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Ignác Viktorin Raab". jesuit.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 11 August 2018.