Long ago, an ancient house with a statue of the Black Madonna stood on this site. Outraged Prague residents protested against its demolition in 1911, but the building was torn down anyway and a new Cubist building soon rose in its place. Nowhere else in the world was the artistic movement of the early decades of the 20th century, known as Cubism, so broadly applied as in Bohemia. In addition to fine art, it also influenced architecture and the design of furniture, glass, ceramics and porcelain. The House at the Black Madonna is the oldest Cubist building. It was built according to a design by architect Josef Gočár for businessman František Herbst and was ceremoniously opened as a department store in 1912. The entire interior, including furniture and other fittings, was decorated in the then-modern Cubist style. There was a wine bar in the basement, and on the first floor, Prague’s elite would sit over coffee and desserts in the famous Grand Café Orient. The second floor was occupied by shops selling textiles, ready-to-wear clothing and fashion items, the third floor housed offices, and the top floor was where the caretaker worked and lived. In the 1990s, the house underwent a complete renovation, during which it was restored to its original condition. The Grand Café Orient was been re-established, with its interior renovated according to period photographs. The other rooms now house a permanent exhibition of Czech Cubism, which is managed by the Museum of Decorative Arts. Part of the Cubist exhibition at the House at the Black Madonna On the corner of the Cubist building is a replica of the 17th-century statue of the Black Madonna that adorned the original medieval house. Black Madonnas hold a special place among all other depictions of the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus. Their origins are ancient and are often interpreted in connection with Byzantine and Oriental influences. Black-skinned Madonnas are also often considered to be the Christianised Egyptian goddess Isis with the infant Horus. Isis was worshipped as the divine ideal of womanhood, bringing fertility, prosperity and abundance, mastering magic, protecting nature and bestowing harvests. Another explanation for the skin colour of black Madonnas is the hypothesis that they are a kind of Christian continuation of the ancient cult of the Great Mother or Mother Earth, a pagan goddess worshipped several thousand years ago. The skin of this originator of matter, nature and people was as dark as the depths of the earth, which is why most of the shrines of the earth goddess were located underground, in ravines or caves, where eternal darkness reigned. This had symbolic significance, as pilgrims had to overcome their fear of darkness and its hidden forces on their way to the idol. According to legend, European statues of black Madonnas were often dug up from the ground, found near springs or in places of geological anomalies. Probably the most famous black Madonna in the world is kept in the Chartres Cathedral. The 11th-century Madonna of Montserrat in Spain and the Black Madonna of Częstochowa in Poland are equally famous. The Madonna on the Cubist house in Celetná Street is most closely related to the Black Madonna in Prague’s Loreto in Hradčany. Baroque statue on the façade of the House at the Black Madonna Black Madonnas were worshipped primarily by the Knights Templar. Officially titled the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, it was one of the most powerful Christian orders of the Middle Ages, and its activities were shrouded in mystery. Among other things, the Templars were also interested in hidden powers and energies. Hence, it is perhaps no coincidence that the Black Madonna in Celetná Street is located just a few steps from Templová Street, whose name commemorates the now defunct headquarters of the Knights Templar. The original name of the street was “In Templo” and the first written mention of it dates back to 1363. It is said that an underground passageway led from the Templar sanctuary, or temple, to Týn Church. This may be related to the ancient legend of the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna, which is said to be hidden somewhere under Týn Church to this day. It is said that there are secret underground passages in places marked with the Black Madonna. This is indeed the case with the House at the Black Madonna on Celetná Street, where ancient corridors lead under the Municipal House, along Králodvorská Street, towards Senovážné náměstí Square and also to Týn Church. The Black Madonna is said to guard a place where powerful energy currents passing through Prague’s underground intersect.