Continuing with my series of photographs (finally!) from the most epic European dad-daughter trip of (probably?) our lifetime –
29 days from December 2023 to January 2024 via planes, trains and automobiles.
In my last post, we visited the Charles Bridge in Prague and in this post, we stay in Prague and pay a visit the magnificent St. Vitus Cathedral (Czech: katedrála svatého Víta or svatovítská katedrála), the largest and the most important temple in Prague.
St. Vitus Cathedral
Construction began in 1344 under the patronage of Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. The first master builder was a Frenchman Matthias of Arras, who designed the overall layout of the building as an import of French Gothic.
23-year-old German-Bohemian architect Peter Parler assumed control of the cathedral workshop as master builder after Matthias’ death in 1352. Work on the cathedral, however, proceeded slowly, because the Emperor commissioned Parler with many other projects, such as the construction of the new Charles Bridge.
After Peter Parler’s death in 1399 his sons, Wenzel Parler and particularly Johannes Parler, continued his work. The beginning of Hussite War in the first half of 15th century brought construction to an end, leaving the cathedral decimated of numerous furnishings and dozens of pictures and sculptures. The great fire of 1541 further damaged the cathedral.
Through most of the following centuries, the cathedral stood only half-finished with Neo-Gothic architect Josef Kranner and architect Josef Mocker assuming control of the reconstruction in the 19th century. But it wasn’t until 1929 when the St. Vitus cathedral was finally finished, nearly 600 years after it was begun(!)
WHO WAS ST. VITUS?
I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t first give a little background on St. Vitus, a Christian martyr born in Sicily who died during the Diocletianic Persecution in AD 303. The hagiography of Vitus is a real doozy. As a young boy he endured various forms of torture by his father, who attempted to make him turn away from his Christian faith. He fled with his tutor Modestus and Modestus’s wife Crescentia to Lucania. He was taken from there to Rome and successfully drove out a demon(!) which had taken possession of a son of the Emperor Diocletian (who wasn’t a big fan of Christianity).
Despite the successful exorcism, Vitus and his tutors were thrown into prison for refusing to make sacrifices to the Roman gods (talk about being ungrateful!). Heavy iron plates were laid upon their bodies but they fell off. Vitus was then thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, but emerged unharmed. A wild lion was set upon Vitus and his companions, but the animal tamely lay down at his feet. He was tied to a torture rack, but lightning destroyed the instruments of torture.
The emperor was like: “Alas! alas! a child hath overcome me!”
Angels eventually saved him and his companions, bringing them back to Lucania. Immersed in prayer, the martyrs died a peaceful death. Opinions about how old Vitus was when he died vary, but most historians believe he was between 7-12 years old. So why was this Sicilian boy given patronage over Charles Bridge and the St. Vitus Cathedral? A holy relic, the bones of one arm of St. Vitus, was obtained by Wenceslas I, Prince of Bohemia (the predecessor state of the modern Czech Republic) in 925 from German King Henry the Fowler. That’s why.
Chapel of St. Wenceslaus
Perhaps the most popular (albeit restricted) area in the cathedral is the Chapel of St. Wenceslaus, which houses relics of young St. Vitus. Peter Parler constructed the room between 1356 (the year he took over) and 1364 with a ribbed vault. The lower portions of the walls are decorated with over 1300 semi-precious stones and paintings depicting the Passion of Christ dating from the original decoration of the chapel in 1372–1373.
The upper area of the walls have paintings depicting the life of St. Wenceslaus, by the Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece (a Bohemian painter with a kickass name!) between 1506 and 1509. Above the altar, is a Gothic statue of St. Wenceslaus created by Jindřich Parler (Peter’s nephew) in 1373. The chapel is not open to the public, but it can be viewed from the doorways.
Great South Tower
The nearly 100 meter Great South Tower of St. Vitus Cathedral offers a unique view of Prague – at the cost of 280 grueling and winding steps. Well worth the effort…
St. Vitus Cathedral is the burial place of several patron saints and Czech kings, including Saint Wenceslaus, the Duke of Bohemia, and Charles IV. It remains a vital part of the religious and cultural life of the Czech state, attracting over 2 million visitors each year.
Opening hours for St. Vitus Cathedral are (typically) from 9:00AM to 4:00PM, with Sundays being 12:00PM to 4:00PM. The last entry is always 20 minutes before closing. Admission to view the cathedral’s permanent exhibitions runs 300 CZK (about $14) per adult with an additional 200 CZK (about $9) to head up to the tower.
Needless to say, Miranda and I thoroughly enjoyed strolling around Prague’s most famous cathedral, even managed to get somebody to take a halfway decent photograph of us. A good day. Enjoy the gallery below and stay tuned for more from Prague in my next post…
St. Vitus Cathedral: FULL GALLERY
