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Cover of Church of the Sacred Heart

Church of the Sacred Heart

by Mark Fiennes

Church architectureArchitectureBuildings, structuresChurch of the Sacred Heart (Prague, Czechoslovakia)Designs and plansHistoryChrám Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně (Prague, Czech Republic)Architects

The Church of the Sacred Heart dominates a quiet green square in the Vinohrady quarter in Prague, and with its majestic presence securely anchors the borough into Prague's panorama. The building is a characteristic Plecnik work, synthesizing classical, Modernist, and traditional Slovenian elements to create a building of great architectural force. Externally the church is enclosed by dark brown brickwork punctuated at regular intervals with vertical rectangular slabs of grey granite; above the brick wall a totally different architecture of classical proportions appears, faced in white render. The massive 42-metre high clock and bell tower further adds to the contradictory nature of the church, and offers a further striking contrast with the simple interior.

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Book data: Open Library