Charles Bridge is an icon of Prague. It is usually full of tourists and locals. This year is different. It has delighted, attracted, seduced and made people wonder for over 600 years. Will the bridges built today survive this long? I doubt it. This bridge has special protection and therefore (this is my personal opinion, not supported by any research), despite many turbulences of weather and history, it is still standing and doing well. Let’s take a closer look at it.
The first level of protection: the date when the cornerstone was laid, which was carefully chosen. It is easy to remember, because it forms a pyramid of odd numbers that were considered lucky in the Middle Ages: 1357 ( the year) 9th of July (the 7th month) at 5:31 a.m. (the so-called palindrome 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1). At this point, the Sun conjoined Saturn, which was considered auspicious (Saturn, considered a representative of evil, is balanced with the Sun, a symbol of divine wisdom and goodness). Furthermore, on that day the ascendant was in the sign of Leo, and the lion is a symbol of the Bohemian Kingdom (a rampant lion is still on the coat of arms). Another interesting fact is that on that very day all known planets, except Mars (the symbol of war), were visible on the Prague horizon, which was also considered a good omen. And there is another bit: all objects except Mars and the Moon were that day in the sign of Pisces, which is guided by the element of water, and this was another positive factor for building the bridge. The founder of the bridge, King and Emperor Charles IV, respected astrology and chose a moment that would be both symbolic and favorable.
The second degree of protection: the choice of the patron. Charles IV put great emphasis on the mutual relationship between the city’s key buildings and objects. He is known for the fact that the churches and castles he founded create regular structures of mutual connections on the map, while respecting the pre-existing objects of worship or places of power. It is no different with the bridge, which was then simply called the stone bridge (for a long time it was the only bridge in Prague; it was called Charles Bridge only from the 19th century). The bridge was oriented in such a way that on the summer solstice, the setting sun symbolically connected Prague cathedral and the bridge with its radius – because both buildings are dedicated to St. Vitus. I wrote more about this in the article “Summer Solistice Mystery” (Summer Solistice Mystery – Secret Prague). In the Middle Ages, St. Vitus was regarded as a patron saint of quick development. The cities where the remains of this saint were kept were to thrive, expand easily and withstand cataclysms. As early as the 10th century, prince Wenceslaus (later proclaimed saint and the main patron of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Czech people) brought the relics of St. Vitus to Prague, which remain still in the same spot (St. Vitus cathedral to this day; in the 10th century, another church stood there, but the saint’s remains were kept there continuously). By creating a direct connection between the cathedral and the bridge, Charles IV honored his ancestor (through his mother’s side he came from the Premyslid dynasty, the same dynasty from which St. Wenceslaus descended). He also honoured an earlier tradition and linked the modern city of Prague with the patronage of the patron who had been already protecting Prague for several centuries.
The third degree of protection: more saints and patrons. Today, Charles Bridge, being decorated with thirty wonderful sculptures, is known as an open-air gallery, but for several centuries there were no sculptures on it. Only the crucyfix was placed on the bridge, and it was not until the 17th century that the first statue of a saint (St. John of Nepomuk) was erected, which gave rise to the custom of founding successive images of patrons and saints of various professions and environments. The protagonist of the sculpture was chosen by its founder, in line with his or her sympathies, which is why today we have such a variety of saints on the bridge, a real retinue of guardians. You will find also among them – of course! – both St. Vitus, and St. Wenceslaus.
The fourth level of protection: gates and towers. On both sides of the Vltava river, you enter the bridge through impressive gates. On the side of the Old Town, the tower is more magnificent as it was specially designed as a triumphal arch, modeled on ancient Roman arches. Its symbolism is very complex and multi-layered, deserving a separate monograph (several of them have been written, those of you who are eager for knowledge I am referring to them), here I just mention that both the sculptures and paintings of the gate arrange into special symbolic meanings and connections. These connections bind earthly, political, ethical and astrological matters into a wonderful, harmonious whole. On the Malostranska side, the gate has two towers – one is the remains of Judith Bridge, which had formerly stood in its place, and the other a reminder of the reign of the only Hussite king in Bohemia, George of Podebrady.
Old Town bridge tower 
Mala Strana bridge tower
The fifth degree of protection – knightly. On both sides of the bridge, there are chivalric orders specializing in the care of the sick. The first one is the Order of Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of Malta, settled on the Lesser Quarter. They were brought to Prague by prince Vladislav I in the 12th century (the same prince who founded the first stone bridge in Prague, the aforementioned Judith bridge), and they have remained here to this day, almost 1000 years of tradition! They established their command and the Church, was responsible for locking the bridge up with a chain for the night and collected a toll. Hence the full name of the church is the Church of the Virgin Mary at the end of the bridge under a chain. On the Old Town side, the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star were established, who also dealt with hospitality and supporting the poor (inspired by the Knights Hospitaller). Interestingly, their sign is very similar to that of the Knights Hospitaller – an isosceles cross with eight points, with a red star added under it.
Maltese Order 
Order of the Cross with the Red Star 
The sixth degree of protection – snakes. On both sides of the bridge, at almost the same distance from it, there are residential houses with the same house sign, and thus both houses have the same name: Under the Golden Serpent. The snake does not always have good associations today, but when we look at it historically, it has interesting symbolism and appears as an archetype of various traits and qualities in various cultures around the world. The serpent is a symbol of survival and rebirth (skin shed), cunning, hidden intentions, but also a symbol of medicine and healing (as in the two spiral snakes, we can still see today on pharmacies’ logos). Symobol of the snake refers to ancient mystical schools teaching about the primal vital energy that has the form of a spiraling serpent. Gold as a material and as a colour represents perfection, the highest quality, divinity.
House in Mala Strana 
House in the Old Town
Taken together, it becomes clear that Charles Bridge is protected on many levels: subtle – intangible (intentions, astrology, patrons), physical (strong structure, durable material, gates) and on the level of harmonious, aesthetic surroundings of the bridge (symmetrical location of gates, orders and gold snakes). Of course, this topic cannot be exhausted in one article, and this was not my intention here. But one article can provoke curiosity and lead to further study. Think about it all the next time you walk across this bridge!
