St. Agnes Convent, or How I Learned to Recognize St. Wenceslas by His Puffy Crown

For Art and Architecture on Thursday, Simon North took us on a field trip to St. Agnes Convent--a Czech gothic monastery.  It's used as a museum now, which conveniently also had a fair amount of Czech gothic art.  In 2002 the building was damaged by the major flooding in Prague, as it is very near the river, but it's been fixed, and, according to Simon, is better than ever!!  I don't really remember much from the lecture he gave us in the museum (oh well), but I do have some lovely photographs for you.

Entrance to the convent

Part of the exterior--the ceiling of this chapel was redone under the communists

Model of the convent

Miranda smapping some photos inside the cloister

Gothic ribbed vaulting!  Notable for its pointed arches and...ribs

Katie is very excited about the ribbed vault

As am I

Inside one of the three chapels

Romanesque/Transitional Virgin and Child

The wonderful Simon North telling us about this equally wonderful painting

More gothic paintings

Early Pieta

Crazy gothic/abstract paintings

Simon North again!

Virgin and Child in the "Beautiful" style