Orthodoxy in Prague

[All4Christ]

I'm going to Prague, Czech Republic and I want to visit some Orthodox Churches there. Anyone know of any good ones?

Thanks,
Laura

[Oblio]

Vasa might know.


OK, not the right name , lemme search

LOL, try Sava

[Moros]

Hmm, what a coincidence. I just got back from a month in the CR.

The only OC I know of in the entire city of Prague is Kostel Svatyho Cyrila a Metodeje (Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius) which is on Resslova street 9a, Prague 2, which is a bit of a walk north of Vaclavske Namesti (Wenceslaus Square) which is still in Prague 1, Stare Mesto (Old Town.) I recommend taking a taxi to it, which should not cost you more than 150 CZK, or about $5. Pay before you enter the cab, or you'll be ripped off. Prague taxi drivers are notorious. Or, if you feel up to a walk, there are street signs all over which will point you towards it once you enter Novy Mesto (Prague 2, New Town).

1. The church is under the Orthodox Church of the Czech and Slovak Lands, which is fully canonical and in communion with the rest of the EOC.

2. There is another reason to visit the Church, the crypt is also a memorial and a museum of sorts for those paratroopers who assassinated Reinhard Heydrich in 1942. The Bishop of the church, Matej Pavelic, was executed by the nazis for supposedly granting the assassins permission to hide in the crypt, and is now commemorated as St. Gorazd II. Here's a good site about that: http://www.curme.co.uk/prague.htm

You will find most of the Orthodox Saints from Bohemia and Moravia were martyred. St. King Vyacheslav (Wenceslaus) and his grandmother St. Ludmila are two past examples.

If you venture outside of Prague, there is a beautiful Russian Cathedral in Karlovy Vary which was visited by Tsar Peter the Great. There's an OC in Marianske Lazne, and one in Olomouc-Brno. All 3 cities are easily accessible via Hlavni Nadrazi (Main Train Station). I myself went to Sedlec/Kutna Hora, which is a great day trip, but OCless.

I've attached some photos.

1: The Church in Brno (name escapes me at the moment)

2. Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Karlovy Vary

3. Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Prague

4. St. Vladimir Church, Marianske Lazne

[All4Christ]

I actually didn't get your message in time for the trip, but ironically, that was the one OC church we found. I've come to OC churches here in the US, but it was very different (I went to the first one you mentioned). It was very reverent and was very beautiful, but I had a hard time due to not understanding the words--either the Czech or the Greek. It also would have helped to be able to have someone to explain to me afterwards what everything was. In any case, I want to attend some more services here in the states.

[Xpycoctomos]

Pay before you enter the cab, or you'll be ripped off. Prague taxi drivers are notorious.



If only someone would have told me of this before i went to ROmania. There I am trying to get to the International Airport. This guy offers to take me there for some amount of lei that equalled about $7. After taking me what seemed to be in circles around the downtown, he ends up "accidentally" taking me to the Domestic Airport. I thought something was up when the airport looked so small... and relatively dead. So, as he was pretending to ask the guy standing outside if this was the right airport (you could tell he was just saying nonsense to the airport worker as he just looked at the taxi driver like "why are you bugging me with inane talk?") I said that we should go in. I asked him to please take my luggage out of the taxi when we got out. I knew he was conning me, but I just wanted my stuff out of the trunk first and then I was going to ditch the creep. Finally, after his trying to convince me that there was no reason to take it out of the trunk, he reluctantly took it out (which I think God played a hand in, because looking back he could have just punched me in the gut and sped off with my suitcase. The police wouldn't have done squat. After getting my suitcase he said "Oh, I know where you need to go, for X-amount of Lei more and I can get you there in like 5 minutes" (although in broken English). I told him to take a hike and I did not look happy. He kept trying to get me to come and i just looked at him and said "PA!" (Bye! my little bit of Romanian I knew). Since I knew that dollars spoke louder than Lei there I found another taxi guy (who wasn't dressed as sly and didn't have a "partner" in the car with him and just looked like a simple guy) and somehow got out the words "International Airport" in Romanian showing him a $20 bill (the only american I had on me.) I surely paid 7 times the amount it probably would have taken any romanian I got there, but I jsut wanted to get there and I figured, hey, if this guy is truly honest, then good.. Im sure he can use the cash.

The sick thing was that the taxi guy who ripped me off had an icon of Christ hanging from his rearview mirror. If I would have thought about it, I would have pointed at the icon while reminding him that he just ripped me off on purpose. Wow.

But, I still loved Romania. I hope I can go back someday.

John

PS: Sorry, has absolutely nothing to do with the thread.. but I like telling stories and reminiscing :)

[All4Christ]

that's why I didn't use any cabs....luckily, I found that if I got a month long pass for the transportation system, I could get around anywhere within the city easily. I also enjoyed getting to walk around the city. Sava, have you ever been around Narodni Trida? There is a Theological Seminary there--our group stayed in an apartment above the Seminary.

[drewmeister2]

That's too bad that happened :( What's also sad is that the police wouldn't have even cared.

[Xpycoctomos]

That's too bad that happened :( What's also sad is that the police wouldn't have even cared.

We think money talks here. Money speaks all the louder (and is more important than justice or democracy) in countries that are struggling to make ends meet. Over there, its all about who you know and how much money you have.

Interestingly enough, on the other hand, I found people to show much more hospitality over there. The famous phrase here of "Mi casa, su casa" is a reality here. They are proud to have you in their simple homes. share anything and everything they have with you (within reason) and it is a genuine hospitality. I guess greed rears its ugly head in all cultures.... its just a question of how.

[Moros]

I had a hard time due to not understanding the words--either the Czech or the Greek.

Services at C and M are held in old Slavonic, which was the tribal language of the Slavs. The slavonic alphabet (which evolved into Cyrillic) was created in what is now the Czech Republic by St. Cyril. While I highly, highly value the use of the vernacular in the OC, it always puts a smile on my face knowing that particular piece of Czech heritage is honoured.

In any case, I want to attend some more services here in the states.

Excellent. Try OCA - they use English almost exclusively. Even the serbian churches ive been to were in english.

7. After taking me what seemed to be in circles around the downtown, he ends up "accidentally" taking me to the Domestic Airport

Prague cabbies do this too.

that's why I didn't use any cabs....luckily, I found that if I got a month long pass for the transportation system, I could get around anywhere within the city easily.

Yeah, the Prague metro rules. The trams are good too, but the route maps do not translate to english. i dont mean that they dont have english maps, but rather that the czech does not translate well enough to make sense of them.

Sava, have you ever been around Narodni Trida? There is a Theological Seminary there--our group stayed in an apartment above the Seminary.

No, but if I have, it was probably early in the morning and accidental. :P I stayed in two different hostels in the old town.

[Xpycoctomos]

While I highly, highly value the use of the vernacular in the OC, it always puts a smile on my face knowing that particular piece of Czech heritage is honoured.
I agree. I think the heritage of anyone's jurisdiction should be honored by using the language of that heritage (like during a small ektenia... not enough to lose anyone... but enough to say a simple "thanks" in a special way to our forefathers to whom we are indebted to for having brought Orthdooxy to us). But, unless most of the congregation speaks another language, the vernacular of the country where a parish is should be mostly (or at least heavily) used.

[Moros]

Amen to that.

By the way, All4C,

jste cheska? mluvite chesky?

[Xpycoctomos]

Sava... what's the story behind your sig?

[Moros]

Take a look at the verses and you will see how they apply to Islam. This is why I have a crescent moon there.

I suppose it is for those Christians who feel compelled towards Islam, as I once was, who need to be reminded that Christ warned us of false prophets whom we will know by their fruits, and of those multitudes who will be decieved by them. I can see how some can take this particular sig as an ill intentioned message towards CF muslims, or even confused for an attempt to reconcile the Bible with Islamic faith, but I suppose I put it there at a time when my faith was sliding, and is still there to remind me of the mistake I nearly made.

[choirfiend]

My old roomate just went to Ukraine on some sort of mission trip...You didnt know a Stephanie, did you

[All4Christ]

Sava, I do know a bit of Czech but the majority of it consists of things like Dobry Den, mluvite cesky, jak se mate', prosim, pomocs, etc. etc.

unfortunately, i only had a small crash course and a good bit of it has left my memory already :-/