Saint Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic

The most spectacular tourist attraction in Prague

Where? When? How much does it cost?

Saint 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 tram lines 22, 23, 91, 93, 96, but also hopon-hopoff red line buses stop (station 3), is located 400 meters away from the cathedral. The nearest metro station is Malostranská on line A. The metro is 1 km away. St. Vitus Cathedral is located in the Prague Citadel, the largest citadel in the world. It is open daily from 9am to 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 the entrance fee.

About Saint Vitus Cathedral

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

The construction is made in the Gothic architectural style and began in 1344 at the initiative of Emperor Charles IV, on the site of a Romanesque basilica, whose walls were partially integrated into the new building. The architects were Peter Parler, Matei from Arras, Josef Mocker, Kamil Helbert, Josef Kranner, Johann Parler, Wenzel Parler. The dimensions of the current cathedral are: surface 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 Saint Vitus. In the cathedral is the Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus, where the saint’s relics 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 over 1300 semi-precious stones and paintings of the Passion of Christ, which come from the original decoration of the chapel from 1372-1373. The upper part of the walls contains paintings inspired by the life of Saint Wenceslaus. In the middle there is a Gothic statue of Saint Wenceslaus.

The chapel is not open to the public, but its 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 are kept, which are presented to the public only once every eight years. Among the highly prized possessions are the crown of Saint Wenceslaus and the coronation cross. Next to the southern portal of the cathedral is the Statue of Saint George made in 1373 by the sculptors Martin and Gheorghe from Cluj on the order of Emperor Carol IV.

1. The cathedral, from far and near

To get to the cathedral, you have to enter the Prague Citadel, which is impressive due to its size. Being located on a hill on the left bank of the Vltava River and having three prominent towers, the location of the cathedral can be done from afar. It can be seen from the Charles Bridge, from the right bank of the Vltava, from the television tower, from the ships that travel on the river or from the double-decker tourist bus from several points along its route. Regardless of which gate we enter the citadel, the magnificence of the cathedral becomes overwhelming, because it is located in a rather small citadel court for its size and close to it are other citadel buildings. Thus it is impossible to find a place on the ground, from where the entire cathedral can be photographed. It’s worth going around the church on one side, every new angle offering another spectacular perspective.

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

entrance to the cathedral

the 2 towers from the entrance

details of Gothic architecture

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

2. Enter the cathedral

After turning our eyes to the sky to admire the height of the cathedral from its base, we step inside. Here the world contemplates or prays or retreats. Stained glass windows are requested to be photographed or filmed. The aligned columns, the high vaulted ceiling, the tomb of Saint Adalbert halfway down the church, towards the altar, the altar, 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 window

masterful architecture

altar

St. Adalbert

beautiful stained glass windows

other stained glass windows

interior of the cathedral

Final impressions

St. Vitus Cathedral is perhaps the most spectacular tourist attraction of Prague, along with the entire citadel. Along with the famous Charles Bridge, the Saint Vitus Cathedral is also the most popular attraction of the city. You can read more information on the cathedral’s website https://www.katedralasvatehovita.cz/.

All the best!

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