“In the Wall”, they used to call it. We are standing before the Church of St. Martin in the Wall. This church wears its history quite literally on its sleeve. The Church of St. Martin earned its curious name from its rather unique relationship with Prague’s Old Town walls. See how seamlessly the church’s south wall is integrated into the city’s defenses? Back in the 13th century, during King Wenceslas I’s reign, the walls were erected, slicing right through the village of Újezd. The Church of St. Martin found itself quite literally “in the wall.” This church wasn’t always the grand structure you see today. Its roots go back to the 12th century, with its original Romanesque style. It was a simpler structure then, a single nave with cross vaults. But as Prague flourished under Charles IV, so did the Church of St. Martin. It underwent a magnificent Gothic transformation. The church gained a new presbytery, a towering steeple, and its characteristic three-nave layout. It also became a place where history unfolded. It was here in 1414 that Jan z Hradce, a follower of the religious reformer Jan Hus, made a bold statement. He offered communion under both kinds, bread and wine. This act, considered radical at the time, became a defining moment in the Hussite Reformation. As you explore the church, look up! There’s a fascinating gargoyle in the form of a young boy. Legend has it that a mischievous boy was playing on the church roof. His exasperated mother, upon seeing him, exclaimed, “You villain, may you turn to stone for this sin!” And turn to stone he did, forever immortalized as a gargoyle, his tongue sticking out in eternal mischief.
Dolní Břežany
Could this grand Renaissance castle have once been a humble medieval fortress? It’s true! This is Dolní Břežany, dominated by