overview opening hours about the place The Church of St. Prokop dominates this picturesque square at the foot of “upper Žižkov” and, along with the nearby Lipanská tram stop, forms one of a number of Žižkov’s focal points. The Neo-Gothic church was built at the turn of the 20th century. opening hours regular roman catholic masses: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 18:00 Sa: 8:00 Su: 9:30 Guided tours are available by appointment only. more about opening hours opening hours regular roman catholic masses: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: 18:00 Sa: 8:00 Su: 9:30 Guided tours are available by appointment only. history By the time Žižkov was granted town status in 1881, the Church of St Roch was already undergoing a major renovation, meaning alternative premises had to be found for Catholic services. The shortage of space was not resolved even when a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary opened a few years later in the John of Luxembourg House, on the site of the present-day Jára Cimrman Žižkov Theatre. According to contemporary accounts, more than 1,000 worshippers could be squeezed inside. Cardinal František Schönborn laid the foundation stone of the Church of St Procopius on 30 October 1898 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I’s reign. For this reason, it was also known as the Jubilee Church in its early years. The emperor himself visited the building site in 1901 and was pleased with what he saw. The architects Josef Mocker and František Mikš drew up plans for a church with a nave and two aisles divided by columns. Mocker did not live to see it completed, however, having died in 1899. The Neo-Gothic hall church, with its nave and two aisles, was built between 1899 and 1903 to his designs. The building is 51 metres long and 17 metres wide, and can hold 2,000 people. Its rib vault rises to a height of 16 metres, while the tower stands 73 metres high. The high altar, designed by František Mikš, is also Neo-Gothic. It takes the form of a four-winged altarpiece, with a central statue of St Procopius in monastic robes flanked by St Cyril and St Methodius. Eight panel paintings by Karel Ludvík Klusáček depict scenes from the life of St Procopius. They were financed by prominent Czech noble families, as was customary at the time. The altar is crowned by a sculptural group depicting the Crucifixion. Klusáček also designed most of the stained-glass windows. The church’s magnificent Baroque Venetian chandelier was donated by Prince Auersperg. One of the side altars contains a small statue of the Virgin and Child that is older than Žižkov itself, probably dating from the first half of the fifteenth century. The same is true of Karel Škréta’s celebrated 1649 painting St Wenceslas, Defender of Prague Against the Swedes, which came from the Emmaus Monastery. Rumour has it that when the monks handed the painting over to the church in Žižkov, they had no idea how valuable it was. The marlstone pulpit with granite steps was also designed by Mikš. The organ, situated in a side gallery of his design, was built in 1912 by the Žižkov firm of Emanuel Štěpán Petr. In 1979, the Igra company completely rebuilt the original 42-stop organ, extending it to three manuals while preserving the existing pipework and increasing the number of stops to 52. The church underwent extensive restoration between 1991 and 1996. Today, in addition to regular services, it hosts classical music concerts several times a year.