Zvuky Prahy / Sounds of Prague

Probably one of the largest crypts in Prague are located in the underground of The Virgin Mary the Victorious Church on Malá strana, under the Petřín Hill. Here is the miraculous statue of The Miraculous Infant Jesus, admired by crowds of its catholic fans. Under the stone floor used to be resting for several centuries dozens of dead bodies. They are in a way obverse to the Bambini di Praga lovely poppett upstairs. The excelent writer Karel Ladislav Kukla published in 1920 a substantial book about the mysterious Prague underground. He describes vast rooms with more then 200 mummies of monks, nuns, soldiers, etc. Speleolog Vladimír Vojíř who visited and documented carmelitan crypts between 1968 and 1971, found then the mummies in very satisfying condition.Alas, recently Cardinal Miloslav Vlk invited the Discalced Carmelites to return after years to Prague and to the church. The purpose of their activity seems to be “to reawaken the devotion to the Miraculous Infant Jesus and to give pastoral care to Czechs and pilgrims and visitors from all over the world.” Anyway the restoration works of the crypts resulted in almost total dissapearing of mummies, including baroque coffins and the dark atmosphere. At least it is possible to visit, if you ask one of the friendly Italian or Spanish brothers.www.nautilus.cza group of people in the church is bidding and asking The Lord to forgive.