Church of Saint Anne

Church of Saint Anne is one of the oldest yet least conspicuous religious buildings in Prague's Old Town. Tucked away on Anenské náměstí, just around the corner from Liliová street and a short walk from Old Town Square, it's a place most visitors walk straight past — unaware they're passing a structure whose origins stretch back to the 12th century.

Where exactly is the Church of Saint Anne?

The building sits on the small square of Anenské náměstí, squeezed between the townhouses of the Old Town, right next to Liliová street. It's a classic spot for Prague's oldest quarter — dense medieval blocks, narrow lanes, and centuries stacked on top of one another. The Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia, another medieval monastic complex in the same neighborhood, lies only a few hundred metres away — a separate building entirely, despite the similarly sounding patron saints.

How did this site begin?

Archaeological surveys carried out in the 1950s traced the oldest surviving fabric of the site to the first half of the 12th century, identifying it as a Romanesque rotunda. Around 1230, the Knights Templar settled nearby and began expanding the complex, adding a nave to the existing rotunda and converting it into the chancel of what would become a church.

The Dominican nuns take over

The Templar order was dissolved in 1312 under John of Luxembourg, and the vacated monastery passed to the Dominicans. Just a year later, in 1313, it became the property of the female branch of the Dominican order, and construction of the actual Gothic church began — a single-nave building with a tower, raised between 1313 and 1330. Its patrons included King John of Luxembourg himself, Elisabeth of the Přemyslid dynasty, and the lords of Říčany. The church was originally dedicated to St. Lawrence, only being rededicated to St. Anne by 1365. Building work dragged on for decades afterward, with the church reaching its final completed form only in the 1460s.

What survived Joseph II's dissolution?

The 17th century brought a thorough rebuilding of the whole monastic complex, funded through the patronage of Empress Anna, wife of Emperor Matthias. Fortunes reversed in 1782, however, when Joseph II dissolved the monastery as part of his sweeping religious reforms. The church was deconsecrated, the top stage of its tower and distinctive spire were pulled down, the Gothic vaulting was destroyed, and the interior was carved up with wooden floors into separate storeys. For much of the following two centuries the space served as a printing works and later a paper warehouse, a use it retained into the early 2000s.

What does the church look like today?

The turning point came in 2004, when restoration of the building was initiated by Václav Havel's Vize 97 Foundation. The project was entrusted to the acclaimed architect Eva Jiřičná, who reconciled the medieval fabric with a thoroughly modern function. Since then the building has operated as a cultural and interfaith dialogue centre known as Pražská křižovatka — the Prague Crossroads — hosting concerts, discussions, exhibitions and public gatherings open to both residents and visitors.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Church of Saint Anne still function as a place of worship? No — since its 1782 dissolution the building has been deconsecrated, and today it operates as a secular cultural venue known as the Prague Crossroads.

What is the Prague Crossroads (Pražská křižovatka)? It's a cultural and interfaith dialogue centre that has run in the restored former church since 2004, launched on the initiative of Václav Havel's foundation.

Is this the same building as the Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia? No. They are two separate medieval religious sites in the same part of the Old Town, standing a few hundred metres apart.

How do you get to Anenské náměstí? The square sits within Prague's Old Town, an easy walk from Old Town Square and Charles Bridge, along the district's dense network of historic lanes.