La St. Vitus Cathedral en Prague It has dominated the landscape of the city for 600 years. It is the most important and largest church in the Czech Republic. It has been the seat of the Archbishop and the place where kings, princes and emperors of Bohemia have been crowned and buried. It is one of the best and relatively recent examples of Gothic architecture.
History St. Vitus Cathedral it is as old as the city itself. Originally it was just a stone basilica, but thanks to the efforts of the kings of Prague to be promoted from diocese to archbishopric it was decided to build this Cathedral monumental. Work began in 1344 and were not completed until 1929. The delays were due to looting, wars, a fire, and lack of budget. The original architects were inspired by German Gothic, but each king who came to rule added something of the style of the time.
The western part of the Cathedral It is the official entrance. It is the most recent part, being built between the 82th and 96,5th centuries. It is characterized by its two XNUMX-meter high towers and a rose window. The southern part is characterized by its Renaissance bell tower with baroque and Gothic lines. It measures XNUMX meters. Inside is "Zikmun", the largest bell in the country. To the right of the tower is the old entrance to the Cathedral called the "Golden Portal”. It is characterized by a mosaic - made of Bohemian glass - of 82 square meters in the upper part that shows the day of the Last Judgment. Through that door the kings entered they entered for the coronation ceremony.
The interior of the St. Vitus Cathedral It consists of a central nave with narrow corridors with chapels illuminated by colored windows and a transept in the northern part. The holiest place in the Cathedral is Chapel of St. Wenceslas in which the coronation jewels are kept. The walls of the chapel are lined in the lower part with frescoes and semi-precious stones from the time of Charles IV. Another highlight is the mausoleum and royal tombs. The Mausoleum is in front of the main altar of the cathedral. There lie the remains of the Bohemian kings Ferdinand of Austria and Maximilian II of the Holy Roman Empire. In the royal crypt is Carlos IV, Ladislao, Wenceslao IV, among others.
From November to February the hours are from 09:00 to 16:00 (Sundays open at 12:00). From March to October they close at 17:00 every day. Free entrance. The bell tower is only open on days with good weather.
You can get to the Cathedral with the indispensable and necessary trams 22 and 23 to the Prazky harad stop.
Images of St. Vitus Cathedral
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