Cathedral of St. Vít, Václav and Vojtěch Prague
Cathedral of St. Vít, Václav and Vojtěch form a dominant not only within Prague Castle, but the entire panorama of our capital. The three-nave Gothic cathedral has three towers and is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Between 1060 and 1920, this valuable Czech landmark was called the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert, but then, until 1997, was dedicated only to St. Vitus. The original name was not restored until 1997 by Archbishop Miloslav Cardinal Vlk of Prague.
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Interesting facts Cathedral of St. Vít, Václav and Vojtěch Prague
It is often called the pinnacle of Gothic architecture in Bohemia and is undoubtedly the most important church in Prague. The cathedral gained its importance mainly by the fact that a number of Czech monarchs and queens were crowned here, and that it is a place where the remains of archbishops, nobles, kings, queens and provincial patrons are buried.
During the 10th century, he had St. Wenceslas Rotunda St. Vitus, which was replaced in the 11th century by a Romanesque basilica. The torsion of these buildings has been preserved to this day and can be seen in the underground parts of today's cathedral. King Charles IV was responsible for the Gothic appearance. and dates from 1344. The large tower with a Renaissance head was built in 1562, and at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the western nave of the church and two towers in the original Gothic style were added.
During the second half of the 19th century, when the cathedral was being completed, a number of important Czech visual artists worked here, including Alfons Mucha, Max Švabinský and Josef Václav Myslbek.
The cathedral houses not only the remains of important Czech personalities, but also valuable relics, including the St. Wenceslas Crown and the St. Vitus Treasure. The total length of the temple space is 124 m, width 60 m and height 33 m. As well as the exterior, the visitor will be captivated by the interior of the church and its interior decoration. The Gothic vault is supported by a total of 28 pillars. On the ground floor there are arcades, in the upper part there are large windows, which are separated from the arcades by a strip of triforium with a portrait gallery of twenty-one personalities of royal families and people who built the temple. We can find here, for example, Charles IV., Petr Parléř or Jan Lucemburský.
Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert is the largest church in Prague, the main church in the Czech Republic and undoubtedly also the spiritual center of our state. Also for tourists, this landmark is one of the most popular not only in Prague, but in the whole Czech Republic.
Author: Andrea Štyndlová