in Front of the Church
Around 500,000 people visit the Church of the Infant Jesus of Prague each year for religious services, lectures, church tours, quiet prayer, or a moment of reflection. It serves both local residents and pilgrims and visitors from around the world. A primary school is located nearby. The public space renovation project has made the church accessible to all visitors, including people with reduced mobility and parents with strollers, and appropriate facilities for visitors have been provided.
“The piazza” near Karmelitská Street, in front of the entrance to the Church of the Infant Jesus of Prague, has all the attributes of the captivating beauty of Prague’s public spaces, which received their form in the Baroque period. They become engraved unforgettably in one’s mind, and their characteristic shapes emerge instantly in one’s memory. Why is that? Karmelitská Street widens in front of the church and creates a kind of resting place, which is not without purpose: it expands further by means of three beautiful Baroque staircases leading onto a charming Baroque terrace, attached to the exquisite façade of the Carmelite church. Indeed, a multi-layered public space, one that is difficult to match. It is structured by at least three dividing lines, which offer the visitor a magnificent experience, provided solely by Prague Baroque. It is a design that can be improved but must not be damaged.
To build the barrier-free access, it is possible to make use of the current situation: the Baroque terrace and the staircases are in such disrepair that it is urgent to restore them, first taking them down completely and then rebuilding them on new, firm foundations. By moving the entire terrace 1.7 m towards the street, a new space will be created for building the access ramp, hidden from view behind the Baroque balustrade. Creating the barrier-free access, which will be used by visitors of both the church and the school, is possible in terms of Baroque thinking. The intervention, which brings high added value to the users of the public area, will be almost unnoticeable from Karmelitská Street.
Architect Josef Pleskot, author of the project
2018 – Project preparation
September 2019 – Restoration plan approved by the Heritage Department of the City of Prague; hydrogeological survey confirmed that the planned restoration will in no way affect the groundwater
Autumn 2019 – Restoration survey of the pavement and railings, and archaeological survey
2019 – 2022 – Preparation of documentation for the building permit and project approvals, obtaining the construction permit
2023 – Start of the reconstruction
March 2025 – Opening of the new space and ramps
The entire restoration was funded by the monastery from its own resources and donations from both large and small donors, although the full amount has not yet been fully paid. You can continue to support the restoration project with a donation to the account of the Monastery of the Infant Jesus of Prague 6024090001/2700 or via QR code payment. We will be happy to issue a donation receipt – please write to us at mail@pragjesu.cz.
Access to the church and school was obstructed for people with reduced mobility and for parents with strollers.
