What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 23 November 2023.

Prokop was born around the year 1000 in Chotouň, near Kouřim (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/03/08/prague-3-day-170-kourimska/) in Kolín District.

He worked as a priest, but then left the profession and became a hermit. Despite his reclusive life, he became known to Oldřich, Prince of Bohemia (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/20/prague-2-day-80-oldrichova/).

How do we know this? Because Oldřich (and his successor, Břetislav) helped Prokop create the monastery at Sázava (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/02/18/prague-2-day-31-sazavska/), which opened in 1032.

Prokop served as the monastery’s abbott until his death in 1053. He was canonised as a saint in 1204, and later became one of the patron saints of Bohemia.

His remains were transferred to the Church of All Saints in Prague Castle in 1588.

Many churches in Bohemia are devoted to him – and, if you look at number 3 in this street, you’ll see what used to be one of them. It’s been a residential building since 1784.

For a relatively short street, Prokopská certainly packs the excellent house names in: you’ve got the Golden Griffin, the White Pelican, the Golden Ostrich and the Black Horse all within a few doors of each other.