St Catharine's Church - Prague

The final concert given by the Men of Note on their 2015 concert tour was at the Church of St Catharine of Alexandria (Kostel svaté Kateřiny Alexandrijské) which is located on the premises of the University General Teaching Hospital in Prague.

Saint Catharine of Alexandria is also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel. Tradition says she was martyred at the age of 18 in the early 4th Century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius. The emperor condemned her to death tied to a spiked wheel, but the wheel shattered at her touch, and eventually she was beheaded for her Christian beliefs. The firework Catherine Wheel was named after her.

Charles IV established this church in 1355 as part of the convent of the Order of the Shoed Augustinian Nuns in thanksgiving for a battle won on St. Catharine's Day. Although the church's current Baroque appearance dates back to it's rebuilding in 1737-1741, certain original Gothic elements can still be seen, such as the tall octagonal tower, often called  the "Prague Minaret".

The unique Baroque hall structure has a transverse nave, and a rich fresco ceiling.
Ornate statues of Bishops look down on the congregation.

The Men of Note concert tour included free concerts performed in Venice in Italy, Bled in Slovenia, Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria, and this last concert in Prague. I went to all the concerts. Even though the music content was often repeated at each concert, the different venues made each performance special and unique. The acoustics in this spectacular old church were marvellous. The men's voices melded together and reverberated throughout the building giving me chills, beautiful!

The gentleman standing in the centre of the front row (6th from left, 6th from right) is 94 years old and still singing! Bravo!

 The harmonica featured in the concerts, and also in singalongs on the tour bus!

More pictures to come.... eventually!

Prague - Czech Republic

Back to my summer trip to Europe. The final destination of the Men of Note concert tour was the beautiful city of Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic.

Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) was founded in the 9th Century and has been a symbol of the Czech state for more than a thousand years. It covers 45 hectares including palaces, offices, museums, St Vitus Cathedral, fortifications and extensive gardens.

The view from the palace gardens over the Old City, pretty spectacular.

Our bus driver dropped us off on the castle grounds, thank goodness. I may not have made it up to the top in time for lunch if I had to trudge up this steep hill.

We enjoyed lunch outside on the castle terrace overlooking the city. I can't remember what these Czech dishes were called on the menu but they were pretty good, typical food of the area, lots of meat and dumplings. Stodgy but yummy!

Building the Charles Bridge across the Vltava River commenced in 1357, and was completed at the beginning of the 15th century. Despite occasional flood damage, the bridge withstood wheeled traffic for 500-odd years – thanks, legend says, to eggs mixed into the mortar.  The Old Town Tower stands at the entrance to Old Town, and the bridge is decorated with 30 statues of Saints.

Portals to the Underworld

The secret doors to the unknown.......

The dragon defends the castle and the city and is part of the coat of arms for the City of Ljubljana in Slovenia. It symbolizes strength, courage and might.

The coat of arms of the City of Prague, Czech Republic. Three golden towers inside the fortified walls and an armour clad arm at the open gate.

Not quite a coat of arms but just as eyecatching in Toronto, Ontario, Canada - outside the Ripley's Aquarium.