Church of the Virgin Mary Angelic (Kostel Panny Marie Andělské)

This monastery is the oldest Capuchin monastery in the Bohemian territory. It was established in the Lobkowicz garden in 1600 by the order’s Minister General himself, Lawrence of Brindisi, who was later canonized. In 1602, the Church of Virgin Mary Angelic was consecrated, corresponding to the Capuchin needs – very simple, single-aisle, with no tower, just a little sanctus spire from which the bells rang during the mass. The interior decorations are just as simple; recently a modern relief Calvary was added by Karel Stádník. There is an old Bethlehem in one of the side chapels, which dates back to the year 1700 and has wooden and straw figures with faces of plaster and paper. The figures are dressed in real clothes treated with resin. The Bethlehem was made by a Capuchin monk named Kašpar. Cannon balls which hit the monastery during the Prussian bombing in 1757 have been installed in the church facade.

The monastery convent was built gradually during the 17^th century and the 1^st half of the 18^th century. The monastery is interconnected with Loretta via a roofed suspended corridor on pillars. The monastery garden was in the neighbourhood of the city ramparts, which allowed the Capuchins to let the Imperial army enter the city in 1632, under the leadership of Albrecht of Valdštejn, who then ended the six-month Saxon occupation of Prague. During the Protectorate, the SS headquarters established a prison here. After the war, the friars returned, but only for a while, as they were violently moved out after the communist coup. The monastery was not returned to the Capuchins before 1990. The Capuchins are the traditional keepers of the Loretta pilgrimage place.

Source: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/1183/church-of-the-virgin-mary-angelic-kostel-panny-marie-andelske