St. Vitus Cathedral is certainly one of the most impressive churches in Prague. St. Vitus Cathedral is located on the grounds of Prague Castle and is the largest church in the Czech Republic.
History of St. Vitus Cathedral
The first church building on the site where St. Vitus Cathedral stands today dates back to the year 925. At this time, a rotunda was built for St. Wnzel. Around 1061, a three-aisled basilica was added to the building.
Charles IV commissioned the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral in its current form in 1344, and the existing parts of the church were partially integrated into the new building. The occasion was the appointment of Prague as an archbishopric.
However, construction was never continuous and there were repeated interruptions. Construction continued until the last third of the 19th century. During this time, many different master builders were involved in the design of the church, each leaving their own signature. You can find elements of Gothic, late Gothic, Renaissance and even neo-Gothic.
For many years, the cathedral was used as the coronation church and burial place of Bohemian rulers. The Bohemian kings moved in a solemn procession along the Royal Way from the Old Town to the cathedral. The coronation regalia are still kept in a special chamber to which only the 7 members of a special council have the key.
Visit to the church
A visit to the castle complex and St. Vitus Cathedral is the main attraction in Prague alongside Charles Bridge. Of course, we also wanted to visit this building during our second stay in Prague in 2015 – with the firm opinion that “we’ve never been there before”. But how can you be wrong, as a subsequent look in the photo album showed when we discovered a picture from 1992. We have now been there a third time and I am still thrilled!
The cathedral was built in the Gothic style. The nave alone is 124 meters long and 60 meters wide. The main tower is 99 meters high.
If you want to visit St. Vitus Cathedral, you should allow some time. It can happen that the queue at the entrance is a little longer. We were in Prague on a Sunday, for example. The cathedral was initially closed for the service and shortly before the scheduled opening there were already several hundred people queuing to be let into the church. We preferred to wait a little longer and about an hour later, after waiting around 20 minutes, we were inside the church.
You enter the cathedral through a side door next to the golden portal, which is located below a beautiful round window. You immediately find yourself in the 124-metre-long nave, which is an impressive 33 meters high.
It is always fascinating to see how the master builders of the time were able to construct buildings that appear wonderfully light and graceful. The choir of the cathedral, for example, is one of the first buildings with a parallel ribbed vault and the vestibule in front of the south transept portal has a particularly artistic vault with free-hanging ribs.
The windows in St. Vitus Cathedral are particularly impressive. These were designed by Mucha and Švabinský and turn the sunlight into an impressive spectacle of color.
The Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral is the most beautiful chapel. It is dedicated to the patron saint of the Czech Republic and was built directly over the tomb of St. Wenceslas. More than 1300 semi-precious stones decorate the chapel. Frescoes depict biblical scenes and tell of the life of St. Wenceslas.
St. Vitus Cathedral is also the repository of some important relics and is therefore not only visited by tourists, but also by believers from all over the world:
- the head of St. Vitus
- the dogs of St. Wenceslas
- the sword of St. Stephen
- a tooth of Saint Magartete
- part of the shinbone of Saint Vitale
- a rib of St. Sophie
- the jawbone of Saint Eoban
- a splinter from the cross of Jesus
- the tablecloth of the Holy Communion
- a dress of the Virgin Mary
- the staff of Moses
I was still impressed by the tour of St. Vitus Cathedral the third time around. I had the feeling that I was discovering something new every time. I will certainly make a fourth visit, perhaps this time in connection with a mass, so that I can also take in the sound of the organ and the spirituality.
Visitor information
Address
119 08 Prag 1,
Tschechien
How o get there
Take streetcar line 22 to the Pražský hrad (Prague Castle) stop
Turn left and after about 5 minutes you will reach the II. Castle courtyard.
Take streetcar no. 22 to the Pohořelec stop.
Walk downhill and after about 10 minutes you will reach Hradčanské náměstí (Hradčany Square) in front of the entrance portal.
Streetcar line 22 to the Malostranské náměstí (Lesser Town Square) stop
At the lower end of Neruda Street (Nerudova) turn into Zámecká Street. After about 50 meters turn sharp left into Thunovská Street. Walk to Nové zámecké schody (New Castle Stairs) and follow it to Hradčanské náměstí (Hradčany Square).
Take metro line A (green) to Malostranská station (Lesser Town station)
Follow streetcar line 22 for about 100 meters, then take a sharp left onto the Old Castle Stairs (Staré zámecké schody). Climb up past the St. Wenceslas Vineyard to the Na Opyši gate.
Take streetcar line 22 to the Královský letohrádek stop
From there go directly to the Prague Castle area. From the Belvedere pleasure palace, walk through the Royal Garden. Leave the garden opposite the Prague Castle Riding Hall (Jízdárna Pražského hradu).
Opening hours
April 1 to October 31: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
November 1 to March 31: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
St. Vitus Cathedral opens on Sundays at 12 noon.
Prague Castle is closed on December 24.
Entrance fees
If you want to visit St. Vitus Cathedral, you have the following choices:
Prague Castle – Grand Tour
(Old Royal Palace, St. George’s Basilica, Golden Lane with the Daliborka Tower, St. Vitus Cathedral)
Adults: 450 CZK
South tower of St. Vitus Cathedral with viewing terrace
Adults: 200 CZK
Audio guide (German, Czech, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Korean)
350 CZK for 3 hours + deposit 500 CZK per device
There are discount and family tickets. Tickets are valid for 2 days. You can only enter the sites once with a valid ticket.
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