The plans were drawn up by the famous Prague baroque architect Kilián Ignác Dienzenhofer. The fornt of the church originally looked onto a small square known as "Hen Market", and the church was surrounded by other buildings, which have since benn demolished. It was therefore not originally designed to be seen from a distance, something we must bear in mind when we see it today in the open space of the Old Town Square. Dienzenhofer had to take into account the limited space in which the church then stood, and designed it as a cross-shaped structure combining a central and a longitudinal ground plan, surmounted by a copula. The church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town is one of his crowning works, and the complexity of configuration of its interior, together with its interesting lighting scheme and picturesque plasticity combine to make it one of the most suggestive church interiors in Prague.
Both the church and the monastery were closed down in 1787 as part
of the reforms of Joseph II, and the valuable interior fixtures were
sold off and removed. The church itself was taken over by the Prague
municipal authorities, who in so doing de facto protected it from dilapidation.
For a short time it was used as a granary, and later as a registry archive.
In 1865 the church was used temporarily for cultural purposes, after
having been adapted for use as a concert hall. In 1871 it was once again
used for celebration of divine services, when it was rented by the Russian
Orthodox Church. One of the features which remains from this period
is the magnificent crystal glass chandelier, which was manufactured
in the Harrachov glassworks in northern Bohemia.
The monastery was demolished in 1898. On the site where it had stood
a neo-baroque residential building was constructed in 1901-02. In 1914
the church was converted into a garrison church and thoroughgoing alternations
were carried out, with a number of new statues, pictures, and others
artistic features in the neo-baroque style being added to the interior.
Since 1920 the church has been used by Czechoslovak Hussite Church,
the establishment of which was publicly proclaimed in this place in
January of that year.
Concerts of Renaissance, baroque, and classical music are held in the
church of St. Nicholas throughout most of the year.
Church servises with the celebration of the Lord´s Supper are held every
Sunday at 10.00 a.m.