The National Gallery

The exhibition of Medieval and early Renaissance art in Bohemia and Central Europe is on permanent display in the first convent located north of the Alps of the Order of Saint Clare, also known as the Order of Poor Ladies or the Poor Clares. This Prague convent was founded by the famous Bohemian Saint and Princess Agnes of the Premyslid dynasty, the daughter of Ottokar I of Bohemia around 1231.

The Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia in Prague's Old Town became home to collections of the National Gallery Prague in 2000. Its premises originally consisted of a larger convent of the Poor Clares and the less significant monastery of the Friars Minor, which later ceased to exist. The convent is considered to be the first Gothic building in Prague, and in its day it was a significant spiritual center and the royal burial site of the Premyslid dynasty. After the death of the convent's founder, its significance gradually declined. The convent was abolished in 1782 during the reign of Emperor Joseph II. Afterward, it was transformed into dozens of small apartments, where poor Prague residents lived for several decades. Between the 1930s and 1986 the convent underwent a lengthy reconstruction, during which all of the Baroque and Renaissance modifications which had been added over the course of time were removed. The exhibition now permanently on display in the former convent presents the development of Czech art from the 13th century up to the religious panel paintings and sculptures from the mid 14th century, as well as Czech and Moravian works of art from the 15th and early 16th centuries. The later works are in contrast to works of art from other areas of Central Europe with close cultural relations and ties to the Czech lands. The convent is open to visitors every day except Monday from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. The reconstructed convent gardens, which function as an outdoor sculpture gallery, are open throughout the year. The gardens are full of artworks by the Czech Republic's most important 20th century sculptors, including Aleš Veselý, Stanislav Kolíbal, Karel Malich, or František Skála.