Monastery of Knights of the Cross with the Red Star in the Old Town of Prague

The Monastery of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star stands in Prague's Old Town, right at the Old Town bridgehead of Charles Bridge. It is the seat of the only knightly order ever founded on Czech soil, and since the 13th century it has been tied directly to the river crossing and to the flow of pilgrims heading to the Old Town marketplace.

Who founded the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star?

The order was established by Agnes of Bohemia (Anežka Přemyslovna) as a hospital brotherhood in 1233. The Pope confirmed its rule in 1237, making it the first knightly order to originate in Bohemia itself rather than being brought in from abroad. The brothers' task was to run a hospital and care for pilgrims and the sick, which is why the site was chosen deliberately: a transport hub at the river crossing, on the main road leading into the Old Town market.

When was the monastery building constructed?

Construction of the complex on the bank of the Vltava, next to the former Judith Bridge — the predecessor of Charles Bridge — began on 21 May 1252. Judith Bridge followed a slightly different line than the later Charles Bridge, running further north, and the Baroque section of the convent by the Church of St. Francis of Assisi stands today on those earlier foundations.

What is the monastery's connection to Charles Bridge?

In 1253 the Czech king Wenceslaus I granted the order the right to collect tolls and bridge fees, coupled with the duty to guard and maintain the crossing. The Knights of the Cross carried out this role throughout the lifetime of Judith Bridge; the rights and obligations lapsed only once Charles Bridge itself was completed in the 14th century. For more than a hundred years, then, the monastery functioned as an institution inseparable from the river crossing at the very heart of Prague.

How did the complex change over the centuries?

Once the order had stabilized, a large-scale Baroque reconstruction of the entire complex got underway. The wing facing Křižovnická Street was finished in 1663. A new monastery church was consecrated in 1688 after nine years of building work, designed by the architect Jean Baptiste Mathey. The Baroque shape of the complex visible today from Křižovnické Square, Platnéřská Street and the Vltava embankment is the direct result of that rebuilding campaign.

Where exactly is the monastery located?

The complex sits in Prague 1, in the Old Town, within the block bounded by Křižovnické Square, the Vltava embankment, and Platnéřská and Křižovnická streets. Its direct proximity to the Old Town bridgehead of Charles Bridge means that almost anyone crossing the bridge toward the Old Town passes right by it.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the only knightly order founded in Bohemia? Yes — the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, founded in 1233 by Agnes of Bohemia and confirmed by the Pope in 1237, is the only knightly order that originated on Czech soil rather than being brought in from elsewhere.

Why was the monastery built in this particular spot? Because of its proximity to the Vltava crossing — first Judith Bridge, later Charles Bridge — and its position on the main pilgrimage and trade route into the Old Town market.

What was the order's role in maintaining the bridge? From 1253, under a grant from King Wenceslaus I, the Knights of the Cross collected bridge tolls and were obliged to guard and maintain the crossing, a duty that ended once Charles Bridge was completed in the 14th century.

What historical architecture can still be seen today? The complex's present appearance mostly reflects the 17th-century Baroque rebuilding, including the monastery church consecrated in 1688 to a design by Jean Baptiste Mathey, and the wing facing Křižovnická Street completed in 1663.