St. Nicholas of Malá Strana, Prague

  
CZECH REPUBLIC, 2000, 2006 and 2007, Scott 3124
The middle stamps shows a view of St. Nicholas from the Vrtbovská Gardens
the third a view of a cardboard model of old Prague done by Antonin Langweil in the first half of the 19th century,
and booklets (below) of the second and third stamps

 

No other Jesuit building is seen on more stamps than St. Nicholas Church in Prague, partly because the Czechs are proud of their church and put it on a lot of stamps, partly because they like panoramic view of the city. The Jesuits were already present in the area of Prague known as Malá Strana (Little Town) with a college when, with the blessing of Emperor Ferdinand II, they started building a monumental church there. The work went on for some 60 years, the Jesuits continued to use the old Gothic Church of St. Nicholas. But the new St. Nicholas, with its magnificent 250-foot dome, lovely façade and magnificent interior, is one of the great achievements of High Baroque church architecture. The altar features a lavish gold-plated St. Nicholas flanked by St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier. But the Jesuits did not have long to enjoy their new church before they were banished from the Hapsburg Empire in 1773. Mozart played on the church's organ, and this is where his requiem Mass was celebrated a few days after his death in 1791. St. Nicholas became the parish church for the area in 1814. Here are some of the stamps where the church is more easily seen.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1931, the dome and tower of St. Nicholas, Scott 183

   
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1938, the 20th anniversary of Independence, St. Nicholas in lower left, Scott 253-54
CZECH REPUBLIC, 2002, Scott 3163

  
BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA, 1943, Hitler's 54th birthday under German occupation, Scott B18-B19
The Post World War II Occupation overprint (above) marks the liberation of Pilzen by Patton's forces on May 6, 1945

CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1955, on the left bank behind the slope of the hill, Scott C44

CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1977, Peace Cycling Course, by the cyclist's right hand, Scott 2111

 
CZECH REPUBLIC, 1998, International Stamp Exhibition, under the R in Republika, Scott 3022-23a

  
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1918, Scott 1, 23, 38, 43a
show the four varieties of this design

   
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, Scott J18, C2, B130, and EASTERN SILESIA, Scott 14
Overprints show (L to R) postage due, airmail, semi-postal, and Silesia

The first Czechoslovak stamp was issued in 1918. The cathedral of St. Vitus and Prague castle are at the rear, the dome and clock tower of St. Nicholas Church is in the foreground behind the shrubbery. The first stamp was followed by three slightly different variations. And these stamps were overprinted for postage due, airmail, a semi-postal issue and for Eastern Silesia. Thus this basic design accounts for at least 112 stamps.

  
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1948 and 1968, the 30th and 50th anniversary of Czechoslovak postage stamps, Scott 368, 1600

   
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1978 and 1988, and CUBA, 1978, the 70th and 80th anniversaries of Czechoslovak postage stamps
picturing Alfons Maria Mucha its designer or his signature and sketch, Scott Czechoslovakia 2217, 2714, Cuba 3056

 
BULGARIA,1989, Scott 3362

 
CZECH REPUBLIC, 2007, imprinted stamps on holographic postal cards
The dome and tower of St. Nicholas are discernable even on the silhouetted version of the original stamp.

 
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1926-28, beneath the ESK in Ceskoslovensko, Scott 119-120 , 137-138

   
BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA, 1939-40, between the towers of the bridge, Scott 37-39, 48

 
BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA, 1940, left of the loggia of the Wallenstein Palace, Scott 47

 
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1950, beneath the PR in Praga, Scott 429
1955, above 1.60 Kcs, from a mini sheet of 5 stamps, Scott 719e

 
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1950, between the bridge and the cathedral, Scott 434-435

 
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1954, in the background to the right, Scott 670
1957, Scott 789

  
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1953, between towers of Charles Bridge, Scott 619 and 1961, beneath the 0h in "60h", Scott 1069
1964, the millennium of the Hradcany (castle), beneath it to the right, Scott 1256

 
CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1930, in the lower left of the vignette, Scott C16-17

 
CUBA, 1962, the World Exposition of Stamps in Prague (under the KOS), Scott C238

NEXT