Prague Cathedral

Katedrála svatého Víta, Saint Vitus' Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral.

It is located inside of the Prague Castle and contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings. It's the largest and most important church in the country.

The Gothic cathedral has quite a long history. The original church was founded by St. Wenceslas (who is buried here) in 925 on a rotunda. Prince Spytihněv had the rotunda demolished in 1060 and replaced it with a Romanesque basilica that stood until 1344.

Then when the Prague bishop was promoted to archbishop, Emperor Charles IV initiated the construction of the kindgdom's main cathedral in French Gothic style.




The construction continued until the early 15th century, when it was interrupted for several centuries by the Hussite Wars and the Thirty Years' War.

The Neo-Gothic three-nave and the façade with two towers were constructed in 1873-1929. So the cathedral was finally completed in the 20th century - almost 600 years later!









The cathedral was consecrated on St. Václav's (Wenceslas) feast day, the 1,000 year anniversary of his murder.

The most sacred place of the cathedral is the Chapel of St. Václav, where the Czech regalia have been housed.




The walls of the chapel are decorated with gemstones and paintings from the period of Charles IV. The cathedral is not only the royal treasury, but also the royal tomb.