Protestant Neo-Renaissance Churches in Bohemia and Moravia: A Contribution to the History of Architecture in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century
Abstract
When the last restrictions on the appearance of Protestant prayer houses were lifted in the early 1860s, it signalled the outbreak of frenzied building work. The older Tolerance prayer houses were reconstructed and had towers added to them (which until then had been forbidden), in order for their appearance to resemble that of Catholic churches.
The latter were also the model for an increasing number of new Protestant church buildings, mostly constructed in a neo-Romanesque style. After a period of experimenting with "mediaeval" styles lasting about twenty years, a more sober approach followed.
New churches were built in a more austere neo-Renaissance style. Their interiors were designed in accordance with acoustic requirements, so that the sermon could be seen and heard clearly from every place in the church.
The architects turned their attention to models in other countries, not only the German-speaking ones, but also in England and America.