Franciscan Monastery of St Agnes

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Agnes of Bohemia was the youngest daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia and was raised in a convent in Slezská Třebnice and Doksany. This certainly had an influence on her later decision to become a nun and on her desire for education. While she was living with the Babenbergs in Vienna after being engaged to Henry VII of Germany, the son of the German emperor, she became familiar with early Gothic architecture. For six years she was living in the convent in Klosterneuburg, but after their engagement was cancelled, Agnes moved back to Prague. After her return, Anges was again under the influence of her father’s marriage policy and she got a marriage offer from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. 

However, after her father’s death, Agnes used her newly gained freedom of choice and decided to establish a convent. Agnes was supported by the Pope and her family and via her convent she engaged Bohemia into the latest cleric and cultural flow. Due to the boom in the growth of cities in the Middle and Western Europe in the 12th and 13th century, the need of care for believers increased and Francis of Assisi founded the Order of Friars Minor, which was based on ethical resurgence and life without material provision, with emphasis on preaching and missionary activity. The female branch of the order was established by Saint Clare of Assisi. She followed the Franciscan tradition and Poor Clares, as were her followers called, dedicated themselves to care for ill people. The Order of Francis of Assisi then spread across Europe and the originally plebeian order penetrated even the upper ranks. The first royal supporter of the order was Elizabeth of Hungary who, as well as Agnes, later renounced her social status.

First construction period

The exact year when the convent was founded is not known, however it was presumably in 1231, after the negotiations about Agnes‘ marriage were completed. Agnes‘ brother, king Wenceslaus I of Bohemia donated the ground on the bank of Vltava river, which was very convenient for a hospital. Simultaneously, Wenceslaus licensed the convent with many privileges. One of the oldest parts of the convent of St. Agnes was the main sacred area, the church of St. Francis, which was built without presbytery at first. Along with the church, a spacious east wing of the convent was built. The construction was rather quick and in 1234, the convent was consecrated. In 1237, the convent was given many significant privileges by Pope Gregory IX.

The second construction period

The male section was built during the second period - a monastery and a chapel of Saint Barbara connected with an aisle of the church of St. Francis. A residential building was built up to the presbytery, however, it was later rebuilt to the chapel of Virgin Mary. Agnes’ private chapel and her suite in the upper floor were located northward. Concurrently the cloister of Poor Clares was created, smaller compared to the original plan. In the 1250s a kitchen was attached. In the newly built presbytery of St. Francis, different Mason’s marks were found, which proves that other stonemasons came to Prague during the second period.

The third construction period

Agnes started a construction of a mausoleum after her brother’s death in 1253, and her nephew Ottokar II of Bohemia was crowned a Bohemian King in 1261. Ottokar II aspired to become an Emperor, which was reflected symbolically in his buildings. A central nave with two vault bays of rib vault has a pentagonal end. Capitals of supports placed in different heights reflect the latest tectonic fashion in Western Europe. Lastly, a triumphal arc connecting the nave and the chapel of Virgin Mary was built. The chapel became (like in the case of Parisian Sainte Chapelle) a repository for the most significant relics of the Bohemian Kingdom.

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