Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
St Agnes's Convent
The 13th-century Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia
(Klá
√
ter sv. Ane
≈
ky)
is an
impressive Gothic building, closely tied to Czech statehood. Daughter of
P
∫
emysl Otakar I, Princess Agnes chose a spiritual life and founded a convent
here in 1234 for the Poor Clares, an order of nuns associated with the Order
of St Francis. But it was Agnes's diplomatic skills and work in establishing the
convent which raised Bohemia in the eyes of Rome, as much as any courtly
efforts to do the same. Restored in the 1960s to
its original splendour, the convent is now used
by the National Gallery to exhibit its collection
of medieval and early Renaissance art.
Top 10 Works of Art
1 Strakonice Madonna
2 Zbraslav Madonna
3 Vy√√í Brod Altarpiece
4 Works of Master
Theodoricus
5 T∫ebo∏ Altarpiece
6 Capuchin Cycle
7 Velhartice Altarpiece
8 Martyrdom of St Florian
9 Puchner Altarpiece
0 Apocalypse Cycle
Convent façade
With the exception
of short-term
exhibitions, the
ground floor of the
convent building is
empty, but frequent
chamber music
concerts give visitors
the opportunity to
appreciate the pure
Gothic spaces.
Strakonice
Madonna
This larger-than-life, 700-
year-old statue
(below)
of
the Virgin and Child is the
Czech National Gallery's
most prized possession.
The gestures of the
Madonna are strikingly
rigid, and evoke the
Classical French sculpture
found in places such as
Reims Cathedral.
• U milosrdn†ch 17
• Map M1
• 224 810628
• www.ngprague.cz
• Open 10am-6pm
Tue-Sun
• Dis. access
• Adm K≤100
Zbraslav Madonna
Bohemia's most
celebrated Marian painting is
evocative of Byzantine icons
in its style. The ring on the
Madonna's left-hand finger
symbolizes the Church
through the mystical
marriage between Christ and
the Virgin Mary. The work
has been moved to St
Agnes's Convent from a
Cistercian monastery where
the majority of the P∫emyslid
kings were laid to rest.
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