On the way from the Charles Bridge to the Prague Castle tourists pass by the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. It is a very beautiful example of Czech Baroque, the main Catholic temple of the Lesser Town (Malá Strana).
The Jesuits who opposed the influence of the Protestants decided to build a new church on the site of the burnt Gothic Parish church of Saint Nicholas. The construction began in 1673 and continued for a over a century. The church was built using the plans by Christoph Dientzenhofer and then those of his son Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. In the 1750 Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer finished the work on the dome (with a diameter of 20 meters). But in 1751 he died and the church tower was completed by his son-in-law Anselmo Lurago in 5 years.
The church has a very sumptuous interior decoration. There are many statues and frescoes devoted to the life of Nikolaos of Myra. The cornices and columns are made of artificial marble. The church organ is famous for its sound all over Czechia. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played on just this organ during his visit to Prague.
