Church of Our Lady before Týn

Few silhouettes in Prague are as recognisable as these two 80-metre towers. The Gothic church was begun in the mid-14th century by the wealthy burghers of the Old Town, and in the 15th century it was the great church of the Utraquist Hussites.

1The chalice that vanished

The Hussite king George of Poděbrady had his statue placed on the gable and, above it, a large gilded chalice, symbol of communion in both kinds. After the Protestant defeat, in 1623 both were removed in a secret night-time operation led by a canon and a Jesuit. In their place went the relief of the Virgin you see, by Kašpar Bechteler. It is said that the chalice's gold ended up in the Virgin's halo, but there is no proof.

2The death of Tycho Brahe

Inside, by the first pillar on the south side, is the gravestone of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who worked for Rudolf II and died in Prague on 24 October 1601. His assistant Johannes Kepler recorded that at a banquet Tycho refused to leave the table to relieve himself, so as not to breach etiquette, and fell ill shortly afterwards.

For centuries there was talk of mercury poisoning. The 2010 exhumation ruled it out.

A Czech-Danish team analysed his remains and in 2012 concluded there was no mercury at lethal levels. They also found that his famous nose prosthesis, after he lost his nose in a duel, was not gold and silver but brass.

3What to look for

• The asymmetrical towers: the southern one is slightly wider than the northern.
• The golden relief of the Virgin where the chalice once stood.
• The arcades of the old Týn School, through which you enter.