What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 24 April 2024.

I think we can skip the part in which I explain what St Valentine is the saint of, and the date on which we celebrate him. But here’s some music.

Anyway, from about 1253, St Valentine’s Church stood here, where, rather than the current-day street, there was actually a square, Valentinské náměstí.

It followed the usual pattern of Prague churches: 1) built in Romanesque style; 2) gained Gothic elements as the years went by; 3) became a Hussite church; 4) was forcibly re-Catholicised; 5) was abolished thanks to Joseph II; 6) was demolished in 1794.

It was replaced by a residential house, but that too was got rid of during the ‘asanace’ (clean-up) of Prague around 1900, a process which got rid of Valentinské náměstí too.

Despite all this lost heritage, the Art Nouveau building that is named after St Valentine, and which was built just after the asanace, is pretty cool.