The silhouette of the Týn Church is recognisable: its two towers are displayed on postcards, magnets, posters and paintings by street artists. This temple is one of the Czech capital's trademarks; everyone who has been to Prague has seen it, and those who have not been there yet want to see it. It is impossible to miss this church: it is located right on the Old Town Square, opposite the Town Hall. However, to get inside the church you have to pass through a small gallery, because the facade of the Church of Our Lady before Týn is behind one of the houses on Old Town Square.
The Gothic church was built for just under two centuries. Construction began in 1339 and was completely finished in 1511. In the foundations of this church you can find stones from a Romanesque building, which was demolished to make way for a new church.
The Týn temple was once the main platform of the Hussites, its facade was decorated with a statue of the Hussite king, but after the defeat of the Czech reform movement, this sculpture was removed, put in its place a statue of the Virgin Mary, dedicated the temple to her and gave it to the Jesuits.
The famous German architect Peter Parler was involved in the construction of the temple. His workshop created the decoration of the northern portal, which has survived to this day.
There are many legends and historical anecdotes associated with the Týn temple. For example, it is said that one of the statues on the façade in Hussite times held a golden bowl, which was favoured by storks for their nest. They often fed their young with frogs. Sometimes frogs fell out of their beaks onto the heads of parishioners. Once an amphibian fell on the head of an important person who caused a great scandal. The bowl had to be removed from the facade.
Nowadays, the temple is open to visitors, and classical music concerts are often held there.
