One of my favourite churches in the world, resides in one my favourite cities in the world. It’s the Church of Our Lady before Tyn in Prague, Czech Republic. It is one the most magical buildings I have laid my eyes on. I immediately fell in love with its exceptional architecture.
One of my favourite things about Europe, is that you can hop on a train for an hour or two, step off the platform and be immersed in an entirely different culture to which you were a few hours prior. This made every day so special and so exhilarating.
Prague was the first time I had seen such a gothic style architectural community. It was breath-taking. Cobblestone filled streets, and an array of medieval influenced architecture, made up of the one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
The Church of Our Lady before Tyn resides in the hub of Prague’s city, standing tall among the neighbouring buildings. It has two towers, and reminds me of a beautiful fairytale castle. The fact that it was church made it even more special. As mentioned in my post about the Exeter Cathedral, I had never been exposed to such historic architecture, and the fact that it was embodied in an institute that so many were so fond of, and that had seen so much history makes it even more extraordinary. I spent the evening outside the church, listening to live music and watching locals dance and perform. It was amazing. The building added so much to the experience. It was like I was living a dream. I believe it was the gothic influence that aided to this surreal feeling. Personally, I made me feel like I was a very tiny piece to an infinite puzzle. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how many weddings, funerals and services that church had seen. Not to mention the historical changes since its establishment in the 14th century.
I was so overwhelmingly happy when I encountered that building. It reminds me of the feeling that nothing mattered, and despite whatever I may feel at a certain time, I am a part of something much bigger than myself. It seems impossible for me to look at a picture of this remarkable building without a massive smile on my face.
