St. Nicholas Church (Kostel Sv Mikulase)

Not to be confused with the church standing on the Old Town Square (Staré Mesto), St Nicholas church of Malá Strana is a truly grandiose affair, not only boasting one the finest cupolas in town, but a lovely façade and lavish, cherub-laden interior.

Indeed, such was the scale of Kristof Dientzenhofer's design that it took over 60 years to build, with his son Kilían Ignaz (along with Anselmo Lurago) having to complete the work. Founded by the Jesuits at the behest of Ferdinand II, the building - which became the parish church for the area in 1814 - also features a slender bell-tower which, because of a financial crisis, was only added 40 years after St. Nicholas' nave had been finished.

The church's interior, justly regarded as the very pinnacle of Baroque flamboyancy in Prague, makes all but a few of the city's other fine 18th century buildings look dull by comparison. The structure, which boasts an extravagant trompe l'oeil ceiling fresco by Austrian Johann Lukas Kracker, is topped only by the main dome - a truly awesome spectacle that incorporates a painting by Franz Xavier Palka, the Celebration of the Holiest Trinity (1753).

Elsewhere, frescoes depict the life of St Nicholas (Nikulas) who, as the bearer of gifts to women and children is commemorated on 6th of December each year, with his gold statue also decorating the high altar.