You can see the Old Provosty, the former seat of Prague bishops, by the southwestern corner of the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. The bishop residence used to be there already in the 11 th century. There are remains of the former huge Romanesque palace kept there.
Remains of the Romanesque palace
Originally, the bishop residence was a simple stone house. It used to stand on a raised place, before the ground was modified in the 14 th century. Also the St. Maurice Chapel used to stand there, you can see its grounds kept by the Old Provosty. The chapel was demolished in the 19 th century.
The original building of the provosty burned down in 1142. A large Romanesque palace was built on its place and there are still some remains of its walls in the present building.
After the bishops moved to the Bishop court in the Lesser Town, the Old Provosty became a seat of the St. Vitus Cathedral chapter.
St. Wenceslas statue on the corner
The Old Provosty was modified several times during the centuries and it finally got its present Baroque appearance in the beginning of the 18 th century. However, the statue of St. Wenceslas on the corner of the building is older – it is from 1662 and it was made by the important Prague Baroque sculptor Johann Georg Bendl.
The Old Provosty was in danger in the 19 th century. When the architects planned finishing of the St. Vitus Cathedral, they considered demolishing the Old Provosty. Fortunately, architect K. Hilbert persuaded his colleagues, that the house should be saved.
