Church of Our Lady of Victory – Guide

Right-hand side of the church

The altars to the right of the nave are dedicated to the family of Jesus Christ:

1. Altar of SS. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Our Lady – Picture of a childless couple praying to God for a child, which will be Our Lady, painted by Petr Brandl in 1716.
2. Altar of the Infant Jesus – the statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague is to be found in a glass case on the central altar on the right-hand side of the church. On either side are statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph. God the Father, allegorically represented as an old man in the upper part of the altar, is sending his Son on earth. Right at the top the Holy Spirit hovers in the form of a dove. The statues are the work of Petr Prachner. The altar was made from red and grey marble by František Lauermann in 1776.
3. Altar of St. Joseph – The picture on the altar, depicting St. Joseph dying in the presence of Our Lady and Christ, was painted by Petr Brandl in 1720.

Left-hand side of the church

The altars to the left of the nave are dedicated to saints of the Carmelite Order:

1. Altar of St. Teresa of Avila – The altar is decorated by two remarkable pictures of this saint. The lower picture showing the heart of St. Teresa being pierced by the fiery lance of God's love was painted by Jan Jiří Dietrich in 1752.
2. Altar of St. John of the Cross – The pictures were painted by Matěj Zimprecht in 1669. On the altar, in a case decorated with silver, is the grace-giving picture of Our Lady of Mantua, the object of great veneration.
3. Pulpit – On top of the canopy is a statue of the legendary founder of the Carmelite Order, the prophet Elijah, in a fiery chariot. His cloak is caught lower down as it falls by another prophet from Mount Carmel, Elisha.
4. The altar of St. Simon Stock and Our Lady of the Scapular – The picture of the General of the Order receiving the scapular from the hand of the Mother of God was painted by Petr Brandl before 1620.

The Main Altar

The main altar has the form of a victory arch. It was built by Thomas of Jesus in 1717 after a design by Jan Ferdinand Schor. The statues in the foreground represent St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. To either side stand the prophets Elijah and Elisha. On top, between some war trophies, is a copy of a small picture with a Christmas theme: Our Lady and Joseph with the shepherds beside the crib. The original of the picture was present at the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620. Behind the altar a large picture can be seen, depicting the intercession of Our Lady. It was painted by Matyáš Mayer in the years 1627-1637. Among other things, the altar reminds us that it is better to achieve victory with spiritual weapons than with military ones.

History of the church – Museum

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