St. Kajetan Church

On the Royal Route below Prague Castle, St. Cajetan Church combines an intimate concert setting with one of Malá Strana’s distinctive Baroque interiors.

Known in full as the Church of Our Lady, Mother of Perpetual Help and St. Cajetan, it stands on Nerudova Street among the historic façades of Malá Strana. Its compact, cross-shaped plan, dome and rich Baroque decoration create an atmospheric setting for sacred music and chamber performances.

A Theatine church completed in 1717

The Theatines established their Prague house here in 1672. Guarino Guarini prepared an early design in 1679, but it was never realised. Construction of the present church began in 1691, following a design traditionally associated with Jean-Baptiste Mathey. Work was prolonged by negotiations over the removal of an adjoining city gate, and the church was finally consecrated on 29 September 1717.

Santini’s architectural signature

Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel shaped the main portal and important elements of the interior. Radiating vault patterns and elevated galleries add movement to the restrained Baroque-classical design. One of the church’s most ingenious features is its self-supporting spiral staircase, which connects the sacristy with the former monastery higher up the slope. Valuable Baroque sculpture and painting complete the interior.

From the Redemptorists to today

Joseph II suppressed the Theatine monastery in 1783, but the church escaped demolition. It was acquired for the Redemptorists in 1869; they restored it and established its present dedication. After the order was expelled in 1950, the church retained a religious function but was often closed. Since August 2021 it has been administered by the Archdiocesan Caritas Prague. Services, exhibitions and occasional classical, sacred and organ concerts now keep the historic space active.