ST. VITUS CATHEDRAL

Description

Essentials about St. Vitus Cathedral in brief

Located in the middle of Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral (cz. “Katedrála sv. Víta”) towers high above Prague. Next to Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral is probably the most famous building in the Czech capital. After all, the cathedral is the largest church building in the Czech Republic and the cathedral of the Archbishopric of Prague. For centuries, Bohemian kings marched in a solemn procession along the Royal Way from Prague’s old town to the cathedral, where they were subsequently crowned. In addition to the tombs of many Czech rulers, the crown chamber of St. Vitus Cathedral also houses the coronation insignia. And from the towers of St. Vitus Cathedral you can enjoy probably the best view of the historical center of Prague. No wonder such a magnificent historical building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The history of St. Vitus Cathedral

Construction of the present building was started in 1344 on the orders of Charles IV. The background of the construction of a representative cathedral was the appointment of the city of Prague as an archbishopric by Pope Clement VI shortly before. The construction at that time ended at the place where the transept is today. The rest of the present construction (from the transept to the present main entrance) was built only in the 19th and 20th centuries.

On the site of today’s St. Vitus Cathedral, there was already a rotunda dedicated to St. Wenceslas in 925 and a three-nave Romanesque basilica begun in the second half of the 11th century, but it was considerably smaller than the present church building. Parts of the rotunda were integrated into the new cathedral building. Today, for example, the tomb of Wenceslas is located in the south apse.

At the beginning, the French master builder Matthias of Arras was in charge of the new Gothic building. After his death in 1352, the famous master builder Peter Parler from Schwäbisch Gmünd and in the last quarter of the 14th century his sons Wenzel Parler and Johann Parler the Younger continued the work, before finally Master Petrlík took over the further construction.

By the beginning of the Hussite Wars in 1420, the choir and the foundation of the main tower were completed. Due to the slow progress of the construction, only the second and third floors were built in the late Gothic style. The tower was built between 1560 and 1562 by Bonifaz Wohlmut and Hans Tirol and was modified in the Renaissance style in the 18th century. In the age of the Reformation, the cathedral was a significant crossroads of denominations. For a time it served as a parish church for the Calvinists. However, much of the cathedral’s precious Gothic furnishings, such as numerous sculptures of saints and consecrated altarpieces, were destroyed by the Protestant iconoclasts.

After a century-long interruption in construction, work to complete St. Vitus Cathedral did not get underway until the second half of the 19th century. In 1873 Josef Mocker was commissioned to complete the cathedral. On his design, controversially, the neo-Gothic western facade with two towers was built. The southern main tower, facing the city, was not continued in its originally planned form. St. Vitus Cathedral was finally completed only in 1929 under Mocker’s successor Kamil Hilbert. On September 29, 1929, St. Vitus Cathedral was consecrated on the thousandth anniversary of the death of St. Wenceslas.

The architecture of St. Vitus Cathedral

With its 124-meter-long nave, 60-meter-wide transept and 99-meter-high main tower, the three-nave St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest cathedral in the Czech Republic. The cathedral is architecturally and stylistically groundbreaking for the further development of late Gothic. Numerous architectural elements of the Gothic style are found here for the first time and spread from here all over Europe. In addition, the choir of the cathedral is one of the first buildings with a parallel ribbed vault, which was used in numerous buildings of the late Gothic period.

A tip for all view fans: If you climb the 99-meter high main tower of St. Vitus Cathedral, you will be rewarded with a magnificent view over the historic center of Prague – certainly one of the most beautiful views in the world.

The interior of St. Vitus Cathedral

The interior highlights

The interior of St. Vitus Cathedral impresses with an extremely magnificent interior. Among the most impressive treasures of the cathedral is the gilded Wenceslas Chapel, decorated with countless semi-precious stones, which dates back to the time of master builder Parler. No less imposing is the high tomb of St. John of Nepomuk, made of almost two tons of solid silver and designed by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. Also worth a look are the beautiful stained glass windows designed in the 20th century by Alfons Mucha and Max Švabinský, depicting scenes from the lives of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Other tourist highlights include the Habsburg Mausoleum built in the 16th century and the high altar designed in the 20th century in the neo-Gothic style.

The relics in St. Vitus Cathedral

With about 140 objects, hardly any other church in Central Europe is as rich in relics as St. Vitus Cathedral. Among other things, the head of its namesake, St. Vitus, is kept here. Also, the dogs of St. Adalbert and St. Wenceslas, the sword of St. Stephen, a tooth of St. Margaret, part of the tibia of St. Vitale, a rib of St. Sophie, the jawbone of St. Eoban, a splinter from the cross of Jesus, the tablecloth of the Holy Supper, a garment of the Virgin Mary and the staff of Moses.

The Crown Jewels in St. Vitus Cathedral

Another highlight of St. Vitus Cathedral are the crown jewels of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, which are kept in the Crown Jewel Room of the Cathedral. Of the older insignia, the royal crown called “Wenceslas Crown”, the royal orb, the royal scepter and the royal mantle are preserved. Other later insignia are preserved in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. The Crown Jewel Room is secured by a door that can only be opened with six keys. Another seventh key is needed to open an iron safe in the chamber. The keys are kept by seven officials: the President of the Czech Republic, the Prime Minister, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the President of the Senate, the Dean of St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Mayor of Prague.