St Vitus Cathedral

At first glance the western façade of St Vitus Cathedral, which looms above the entrance to the Third Courtyard of Prague Castle, appears impressively Gothic, but in fact the triple doorway dates only from 1953, one of the last parts of the church to be completed. The cathedral’s foundation stone was laid in 1344 by Emperor Charles IV, on the site of a 10th-century Romanesque rotunda built by Duke Wenceslas. Charles’ original architect, Matthias of Arras (Matyáš z Arrasu), began work in 1344 on the choir in the French Gothic style, but died eight years later. His German successor, Peter Parler – a veteran of Cologne’s cathedral – completed most of the eastern part of the cathedral in a freer, late-Gothic style before he died in 1399. Renaissance and baroque details were added over the following centuries, but it was only in 1861 during the Czech National Revival that a concerted effort was made to finish the cathedral – everything between the western door and the crossing was built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was finally consecrated in 1929. Inside, the nave is flooded with colour from beautiful stained-glass windows created by eminent Czech artists of the early 20th century – note the one by Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha in the third chapel on the northern side, to the left as you enter, which depicts the lives of Sts Cyril and Methodius (1909). Nearby is a wooden sculpture of the crucifixion (1899) by František Bílek. Walk up to the crossing, where the nave and transept meet, which is dominated by the huge and colourful south window (1938) by Max Švabinský, depicting the Last Judgment – note the fires of Hell burning brightly in the lower right-hand corner. In the north transept, beneath the baroque organ, are three carved wooden doors decorated with reliefs of Bohemian saints, including St Vitus being tortured in a cauldron of boiling oil. Look on the left-hand door for the martyrdom of St Wenceslas. He is down on one knee, clinging to a lion’s-head door handle, while his treacherous brother Boleslav drives a spear into his back. You can see that very door handle on the other side of the church – it’s now the door to the Chapel of St Wenceslas. Just to the right of the south transept is the entrance to the 96m-tall Great Tower (last entry 4.15pm Apr-Oct, closed during bad weather). You can climb the 297 slightly claustrophobic steps to the top for excellent views, and you also get a close look at the clockworks (1597). The tower’s Sigismund Bell, made by Tomáš Jaroš in 1549, is the largest bell in the Czech Republic. The eastern end of the cathedral is capped with graceful late-Gothic vaulting dating from the 14th century. In the centre lies the ornate Royal Mausoleum (1571–89) with its cold marble effigies of Ferdinand I, his wife Anna Jagellonská and their son Maximilián II. On the ambulatory’s northern side, just beyond the old sacristy and the confessional booths, a wooden relief (1630) by Caspar Bechterle shows Protestant Frederick of the Palatinate (in his horse-drawn coach) legging it out of Prague after the Catholic victory at the battle of Bílá Hora. As you round the far end of the ambulatory you pass the tomb of St Vitus – as well as being a patron saint of Bohemia, Vitus is a patron of actors, entertainers and dancers, and is said to protect against lightning, dog bites and oversleeping. The brass crosiers set in the floor nearby mark the tombs of bishops. Further round you reach the spectacular, baroque silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk, its draped canopy supported by a squadron of chubby silver angels (the tomb contains two tonnes of silver in all). The nearby Chapel of St Mary Magdalene contains the grave slabs of Matthias of Arras and Peter Parler. Beyond is the ornate, late-Gothic Royal Oratory, a fancy balcony with ribbed vaulting carved to look like tree branches. In the corner of the neighbouring Chapel of the Holy Rood, stairs lead down to the crypt, where you can see the remains of earlier churches that stood on the site of the cathedral, including an 11th-century Romanesque basilica. Beyond, you can crowd around the entrance to the Royal Crypt to see the marble sarcophagi (dating only from the 1930s), which contain the remains of Czech rulers including Charles IV, Wenceslas IV, George of Poděbrady (Jiří z Poděbrad) and Rudolf II. The biggest and most beautiful of the cathedral’s numerous side chapels is Parler’s Chapel of St Wenceslas. Its walls are adorned with gilded panels containing polished slabs of semiprecious stones. Wall paintings from the early 16th century depict scenes from the life of the Czechs’ patron saint, while even older frescoes show scenes from the life of Christ. On the southern side of the chapel a small door – locked with seven locks – hides a staircase leading to the Coronation Chamber above the Golden Gate, where the Bohemian crown jewels are kept (you can see replicas in the Story of Prague Castle exhibition). The cathedral is also a popular concert venue for classical music.