Cathedral of Saint Lawrence

St. Lawrence Cathedral in Prague sits on the slope of Petřín Hill, right next to the Petřín Lookout Tower and the Hunger Wall. From the outside it looks like one more Baroque church among Malá Strana's many, but it holds a unique status: it is the cathedral of the Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, a small but independent Christian denomination.

How old is the church, really?

The first written record of a chapel dedicated to St. Lawrence on this spot goes back to 1135. Back then it was a modest, single-nave Romanesque building with an apse on the east side and a tower to the west — traces of those original walls are still embedded in the structure you see today, buried under centuries of rebuilding.

Where does the Baroque look come from?

The church took on its current Baroque form during a reconstruction carried out around 1740–1742, with Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, one of the leading architects of Prague Baroque, involved in the project. The result is a distinctive three-tower silhouette: two side towers rise to 24.5 metres, while the shorter central tower topped with a dome reaches 22.7 metres. Inside, the altarpiece depicting the martyrdom of St. Lawrence is the work of French painter Jean Claude Monnot.

The building's history wasn't a straight line, though — under Emperor Joseph II it was closed by imperial decree as part of a broader dissolution of church institutions, and it was only reconsecrated in 1840.

Why is it an Old Catholic cathedral?

Since 1994 the whole complex has been used by the Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, which restored the buildings with financial support from the City of Prague. In November 1995 the church was elevated to cathedral status, becoming the main seat of this small denomination that split from Rome in the 19th century.

What else is worth seeing around it?

The cathedral isn't standing alone. To its east is the Chapel of Calvary, built after 1735, its façade decorated with a sgraffito of the Resurrection designed by Mikoláš Aleš, one of the best-known Czech painters of the turn of the 20th century. The complex also includes the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre from 1738 and fourteen Stations of the Cross dating from 1836, laid out along the garden paths climbing toward the top of Petřín.

How do you get there?

The church sits directly on the walking route that runs from the lower funicular station on Petřín toward the Lookout Tower and the Hunger Wall, so it naturally fits into any walk up the hill — no real detour needed to include it.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a Roman Catholic church? No — it is the cathedral of the Old Catholic Church, a denomination that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century and does not recognise papal infallibility. The building itself, though, has been shaped by centuries of Western Christian tradition.

How old is the site? The first mention of a chapel here dates to 1135, though the church's current Baroque appearance only took shape in the 18th century.

Can visitors go inside? Yes, it functions as an active cathedral with regular services — it's worth checking current visiting hours before you go, since they can vary by season.

What's next to the church? The Chapel of Calvary with its Mikoláš Aleš sgraffito, the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, and fourteen Stations of the Cross — together forming a small pilgrimage complex built into the Petřín hillside.

Is it worth combining with a visit to the Lookout Tower? Yes, the two sites are only a few hundred metres apart on the same hill, making it easy to see both during a single trip up Petřín.