The Jewel of Prague
Interested in visiting Prague? Your visit won’t be complete without seeing the St. Vitus Cathedral. Everyone knows great things take time and the St. Vitus is no different; it took 600 years to be built. This Roman Catholic cathedral is the most important cathedral in the country, one because it is the seat of the archbishop of Prague, and two because it is the final resting place for several saints.
The creation on the cathedral was largely supported by Charles IV, King of Bohemia later becoming Holy Roman Emperor. He intended the cathedral to be a coronation church, family crypt, and treasury for the most precious relics of the kingdom among other things. Matthias of Arras, a Frenchman, was the first of many designers to start building the St. Vitus. Each master builder continued their predecessor’s plans, but made their own additions to the design as well.
Building was delayed by the Hussite War and part of the cathedral was greatly damaged by a fire in 1541. Nevertheless, the St. Vitus Cathedral was finally finished in 1929 under the architectural hands of Kamil Hilbert.
Many tourists claim Prague is the best place to visit in Europe, largely due to the St. Vitus Cathedral. After seeing the stained glass windows that give off bursts of color when the sun shines through or the tombs stunning gilded monuments of the cathedral, not many people argue with the former declaration. Don’t forget to return to the cathedral at night and see the intimidating Gothic architecture lit up. This is a scene you won’t soon forget.
Visit the St. Vitus Cathedral and other sites in Prague on our Czech Republic tours, specifically our Salzburg to Prague tour.