en_US English
en_US English ro_RO Română de_DE Deutsch

St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic

Prague's most spectacular sights

Where? When? How much does it cost?

St. Vitus Cathedral is located in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, at III nádvoří 48/2, postal code 119 01 Praha 1-Hradčany. The nearest access station is Pražský hrad, where trams of lines 22, 23, 91, 93, 96, as well as buses of the red line hopon-hopoff (stop 3) stop, 400 meters away from the cathedral. The nearest metro station is Malostranská, on line A. It is 1 km to the metro. St. Vitus Cathedral is located in Prague Fortress, the largest fortress in the world. It is open daily from 9am-8pm, except on Sundays when it opens 3 hours later. Last entry is allowed 20 minutes before closing time. I didn't have to pay admission.

About St. Vitus Cathedral

The cathedral, known as St. Vitus, is known in Czech as metropolitní katedrála svatého Víta, Václava a Vojtěcha, which means Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert. It is a Roman Catholic archiepiscopal cathedral and is the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic. Until 1997 the cathedral was dedicated solely to St. Vitus, hence its short name St. Vitus Cathedral. The Cathedral of St. Vitus is also an important royal and imperial necropolis, where Emperor Charles IV and the Bohemian Duke Wenceslaus I (Vaclav) are buried.

The construction is in the Gothic architectural style and began in 1344 on the initiative of Emperor Charles IV, on the site of a Romanesque basilica, the walls of which were partially integrated into the new building. The architects were Peter Parler, Matthew of Arras, Josef Mocker, Kamil Helbert, Josef Kranner, Johann Parler, Wenzel Parler. The dimensions of the present cathedral are: area 124 x 60 square meters, main tower 96.5 meters high, front towers 82 meters high, vault 33.2 meters high. The founder is Wenceslaus I. The church was opened in 1929 and is dedicated to St. Vitus.

In the cathedral is the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, where the relics of the saint are kept. The room was built by Peter Parler between 1344 and 1364 and has a ribbed vault. The lower part of the walls is decorated with more than 1300 semi-precious stones and paintings of the Passion of Christ, which originate from the original decoration of the chapel from 1372-1373. The upper part of the walls contains paintings inspired by the life of St. Wenceslaus. In the middle is a Gothic statue of St. Wenceslas. The chapel is not open to the public, but the interior can be seen through the open door. A small door with seven locks in the south-west corner of the chapel leads to the Crown Chamber where the Czech Crown Jewels, which are only shown to the public once every eight years, are kept. Among the prized possessions are the crown of St. Wenceslas and the coronation cross. To the right of the south portal of the cathedral is the Statue of St. George, made in 1373 by sculptors Martin and George from Cluj at the commission of Emperor Charles IV.

1. The Cathedral, far and near

To reach the cathedral, you have to enter the impressive Prague Fortress. Situated on a hill on the left bank of the Vltava River and with three prominent towers, the cathedral can be spotted from afar. It can be seen from the Charles Bridge, from the right bank of the Vltava, from television towerfrom the river boats or the double-decker tourist bus from several points along its route. No matter through which gate you enter the fortress, the grandeur of the cathedral becomes overwhelming, because it is located in a rather small courtyard of the fortress compared to its size, and there are other buildings of the fortress nearby. Thus it is impossible to find a spot on the ground from where the cathedral can be photographed in its entirety. It's worth going around the side of the church, as any new angle offers another spectacular perspective.

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

Cathedral entrance

the 2 towers at the entrance

details of Gothic architecture

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

2. Come to the cathedral

After looking skywards to admire the height of the cathedral from its base, we step inside. Here, people contemplate or pray or pray. The stained-glass windows beg to be photographed or filmed. The aligned columns, the high vaulted ceiling, the tomb of St. Adalbert behind the middle of the church, towards the altar, the shrine, all the decorations, statues and architectural elements are fascinating. Wow! Near one of the exits is a sectional model of the cathedral.

statue

place of prayer

stained glass

blue architecture and stained glass

the altar

St. Adalbert

superb stained glass

other stained glass

inside the cathedral

Final impressions

The Cathedral of St. Vitus is perhaps Prague's most spectacular tourist attraction, along with the entire citadel. Next to the famous Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral is also the city's most popular attraction.

Read more on the cathedral website https://www.katedralasvatehovita.cz/.

All the best!

Steps:

en_USEnglish
ro_RORomână de_DEDeutsch en_USEnglish