Jeseniova Street and Parish Church of St. Anna

One of Žižkov’s longest streets runs along the green band of the Holy Cross Hill and the Jewish Ovens. It used to start by the German elementary school (no. 500) opened in 1876. With respect to the low numbers of German-speaking population, it was the only German school in Žižkov.

Where Jeseniova crosses Kaplířova Street (today’s Ostromečská), there is the 1911 Church of St. Anna built to the design by architect Edu­ard Sochor. The construction of the triple-nave church was completed by the St. Boniface Association. From 1916 on, the church joined with the Carmelite monastery which also had a monastic house built there. However, the monastery ceased to exist when the monks left in 1922, and the monastic house was used as a rectory. The Church is built in the Art Nouveau style quite rarely applied to this type of building in the Czech lands, and it has an unusual – opposite - orientation. The temple was consecrated on October 8, 1911 and accepted by the Virgin Mary Carmelites at Slup. In 1916, a Carmelite (mendicant) monastery was founded along the church. The monastery building (no. 1268) was built in the same year to Antonín Procházka’s design.  

However, there was no deep tradition of Catholic spirituality in Žižkov; together with the post-1918 Masaryk atmosphere not favouring Catholicism this probably caused the monastery to cease to exist when the monks left in 1922. The monastic house was converted to a rectory, and the remaining premises became apartments. The rectory was established on December 1, 1923, and the chaplain of St. Procopius – Pater Josef Nízký was appointed the spiritual leader. The parish registers have been maintained since then, too.