Gothic secrets of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtech Where is the Cathedral of St. Vitus

The unsurpassed St. Vitus Cathedral is the brightest symbol of Prague, the cultural heritage of the Czech people and the spiritual center of the country. You can see the magnificent towers of the grandiose Gothic cathedral not only from, but also from many other places in the city. The rulers of Bohemia were crowned here, and there is also a royal tomb and a repository of royal regalia. Cathedral St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtech (this is exactly what the full official name temple) is a great masterpiece of Gothic and neo-Gothic architecture.

The cathedral was not built right away...

The construction of the majestic cathedral took almost 600 years! It began in the middle of the 14th century on the site of a previously existing church. According to one legend, the first temple here was founded by Saint Wenceslas himself in 925. It was a rotunda, that is, a round building with a dome, made in the Romanesque style. Wenceslas dedicated the church to St. Vitus, since parts of his relics, namely the right hand, were given to him by the German king Henry I. Already in the 11th century, the rotunda was replaced by a basilica, that is, a building in the shape of a rectangle. It was also Romanesque, and it had three naves - elongated rooms separated by columns. But it was demolished, and construction of a larger cathedral began in its place in 1344. This was initiated by Emperor Charles IV, who obtained from the Pope the creation of the Prague archbishopric. By the way, even now St. Vitus Cathedral is the residence of the Archbishop of Prague.

The first architect of the temple was the French master Mathieu of Arras. He drew up a general plan for the cathedral, but died quite soon. His work was continued by the young architect Peter Parler, who also became famous for the construction of the Charles Bridge and many other legendary structures in Prague. Parler's two sons took up the architectural baton from their father. And then master Petrilk continued work on the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral. By the beginning of the Hussite wars in 1419, many parts of the temple were already ready, including a tower 96.5 meters high. But troubled times caused a big break in construction. Moreover, many of the decorations of the cathedral were damaged by military operations.

In subsequent centuries, the construction of the temple either began or was suspended again. Different architects took on the cathedral, introducing elements of other styles, even such as Baroque, into the Gothic image. For various reasons, it was not possible to completely complete the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral. It was only in the second half of the 19th century that the building was taken seriously again. Architect Joseph Kranner began renovating the structure. He removed many Baroque elements, restoring as much as possible the original Gothic style. Kranner's merits include the restoration of the unity of the entire temple composition.

The last architect to work on the main temple of the Czech capital was Kamil Gilbert. But it was not only through his efforts that the epic construction was completed. In the appearance of the temple, attention is drawn to the work of the sculptor Wojtek Sucharda and the outstanding artist Alphonse Mucha. The official completion date for the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral was 1929 - this event was timed to coincide with the millennium since the death of St. Wenceslas.

St. Vitus Cathedral from outside

The grandeur of St. Vitus Cathedral is truly amazing! On the south side there is a main entrance, which was previously used during the coronations of rulers or during wedding ceremonies- so called Golden Gate. Above the entrance there is a magnificent mosaic depicting the Last Judgment, the work of unknown Venetian masters. About a million pieces of colored glass were used to create this masterpiece! The Golden Gate itself is closed with an interesting lattice. It is covered with metal figurines depicting medieval crafts - activities for different zodiac signs.

Located to the left of this entrance bell tower was designed by Petr Parler and built by his sons. This is one of the oldest parts of the cathedral. The dome of the tower is made in the Baroque style, but it fits perfectly into the overall Gothic image. There is an unusual clock on the tower - with two dials, each of which has only one hand. One dial shows hours, and the other shows minutes. The carved gilded grille also delights with its elegance. Inside the tower are bells, the largest of which weighs 18 tons and is named Sigmund. Other large bells also have their own names: Wenceslas, John the Baptist, Joseph. They were installed on the bell tower after a major fire in 1541, which destroyed the old bells and damaged the clock mechanism.

WITH west side St. Vitus Cathedral has three entrance portals decorated with wonderful bas-reliefs. Above the central entrance the construction process of the temple is depicted. The bas-reliefs on the left tell about the life of St. Wenceslas, and on the right – St. Vojtech. Looking at the facade, you can see unusual gutters in the form of chimeras and gargoyles.

Classic Gothic towers rise above the entrance portals. Their height reaches 80 meters. Between them there is a 10-meter rosette window. This is a stained glass window created in 1921. Its author, the painter Frantisek Kisela, depicted the legend of the creation of the world.

If you go around the cathedral clockwise, then from the north side you will find yourself on a fairly narrow street. The eastern part of St. Vitus Cathedral is the outer wall of the semicircular ambulatory. Once again on the south side, you will see a covered corridor connecting the cathedral with the old royal palace.

St. Vitus Cathedral: interior

There is a unique atmosphere inside the cathedral, which is created largely due to the unique design and architectural solutions. The light into the cathedral seems to pour from the large upper windows. And thanks to the colored stained glass windows with biblical scenes, those in the temple get the feeling that they are here in a special dimension. Thanks to thoughtful lighting and special mesh vaults, the 33.5-meter-high central nave gives the impression of reaching upward.

The main altar of St. Vitus Cathedral is located in the eastern part of the room. And in front of it is the royal tomb. It consists of two parts: the above-ground Mausoleum and the underground Crypt. The Mausoleum contains a marble sarcophagus made in 1564 and surrounded by a beautiful forged lattice in the Renaissance style. On the slab of the sarcophagus one can see relief images of Emperor Ferdinand II, his wife and son. And on the sides you can see images of other monarchs buried in the Crypt.

Among the famous historical figures buried in the crypt of St. Vitus Cathedral: Charles IV, Wenceslas IV, Rudolf II, the Hussite king George of Podebrady and many other rulers, as well as saints. In addition, the dungeon contains the remains of the original buildings: an ancient rotunda and a basilica.

Chapels of St. Vitus Cathedral

There are 19 chapels along the entire perimeter of St. Vitus Cathedral. These are side niches, many of which were once used for closed prayer by members of noble families. Each of them is interesting in its design, and many contain Christian shrines.

, - and this happened in 2006 - I was, without exaggeration, stunned by St. Vitus Cathedral. By that time, I had already heard more than once about the main temple in Prague. But when I found myself on the square in front of it, I was amazed by its scope and grandeur. A lot of questions immediately arose: who built all this beauty and how, why they named it in honor of St. Vitus, etc. Perhaps you are also interested in similar questions. Read this article, I will try to answer some of them.

I’ll immediately explain where we will look for answers so that they do not turn out to be an ordinary philistine fantasy. Firstly, over several visits to the Czech Republic I collected a good selection of reference materials on Prague, and secondly, in a small bookstore... on a small... Prague Castle I purchased a reputable publication by Czech historians, “Historical Prague”. By studying this manual and comparing a number of facts, you can understand a lot.

But while we clarify the name, let’s pay a little attention to the cathedral itself. Agree, even from afar you can see how huge and majestic it is:

Cathedral of St. Vitus It took almost 600 years to acquire the form in which it appears today. The first stone was laid by Charles IV in 1344, and the final construction work was completed in 1929. The cathedral was built with long interruptions. During this time, several architects managed to contribute to the design appearance and structural components of the cathedral.
There was no need to choose a place to build the temple; it had already been determined by history itself.

Back in 929, ruler Vaclav, especially revered by the Czechs, built in the very high point the fortress has a small stone rotunda dedicated to St. Vitus. By that time, Vaclav had become imbued with the ideas of Christianity, which was just beginning to spread in Europe. He sought to instill Christian values ​​in his people. Wenceslas's faith was supported by the German king Henry I, who gave him a relic - the relics (part of the hand) of the young Sicilian Vitus, who died for his Christian views in the Roman Empire back in the 3rd century and was canonized.

These are probably rather boring facts, but they are important for understanding why St. Vitus Cathedral is named so. I'll add a little more.

When Vaclav himself died as a result of a conspiracy by his brother, who held different religious views, the people and the church conferred holiness on Vaclav. He was buried in the Svyatovitskaya rotunda. Another person who actively preached Christianity and died for his activities at the end of the 10th century was buried there - the Czech Bishop Vojtěch. And when in 1060 a basilica was erected on the site of the rotunda, they named it in honor of three saints: Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtech.

When the most enlightened Czech monarch, Charles IV, decided to renovate the entire Prague Castle, the first thing he planned was to erect a grandiose cathedral in the holiest and most revered place - on the square containing the Svyatovitsky rotunda and the surrounding Basilica of the Three Saints. In the future cathedral, the king planned to hold the most solemn ceremonies, as well as store the most valuable state treasures and relics.

The cathedral was dedicated to the same saints as the basilica. And by the way, the current official name honors three saints who gave their lives for Christianity: the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtěch. But how many official names have stuck with the people? A rhetorical question. Even the Czechs don’t remember the full name, and even more so, the temple is known to us as the Cathedral of St. Vitus.

A little history of the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral

Charles IV entrusted the design of the cathedral to the architect of the papal court Mathieu Arrascom. Then his work was continued by a young talented Czech architect Petr Parlerzh. Parlerzh was engaged in construction for 47 years, then his sons, but they only managed to build eastern part cathedral If you look at the photo, this is the right part, only reaching the central tower. And the eastern walls of the cathedral look like this:

But Parler's merits are enormous. In I mentioned that Parler built the most important facilities. As for the Cathedral of St. Vitus in Prague, those beautiful vaults that still decorate the temple were constructed based on his design.

He also designed the Golden Gate, decorated with Venetian mosaics and perfectly preserved to this day. for a long time served as the central entrance to the temple. Look at a fragment of a gilded glass mosaic in the photo:

When did that tall central bell tower appear? This is the south tower, and it is really high - 96 m. In any case, it will give you problems when you try to photograph the cathedral in its full “height”. The central tower was worked on even under Parler, but the view that we see today was built only in 1556-1593. Look at the unusual clocks that adorn the tower. Do you see two dials? And each of them has only one arrow. So, the top one shows only the hours, and the disk below shows only the minutes. The question suggests itself: what time did I take this picture?

Between the dials there is a refined golden grille, behind which lies the main bell of the cathedral, called Sigmund. Its weight is 16 tons!

So what about our construction? Until the end of the 19th century, the cathedral still ended with a bell tower on the left wing, and there was no trace of those paired towers that represent the western façade of the cathedral. Only in 1873 the architect Joseph Kranner, working in the neo-Gothic style, has begun the last stage of construction. But his life was not enough to complete the construction of the temple at Prague Castle. His successor was Joseph Moker, which had already become famous by that time for its Gothic reconstruction. This is how the western facade was erected with 82-meter towers and a beautiful rose window 10 meters in diameter. Only one cathedral in Europe has such a window, which is larger in size than the rose of St. Vitus Cathedral. This is the temple of St. Tekla -.

Visitors find themselves just in front of the western façade when they enter Prague Castle through the central gate. This is where the main entrance is now.

Visit to the cathedral

To enter St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, you do not need to buy tickets. Only the area for free access, unfortunately, is very limited. It ends at the level of the third chapel. Yes, from here you can see all the beauty of the central nave, the rose window, several stained glass windows of the famous Alphonse Mucha.

But the altar, the royal mausoleum, the silver sarcophagus of John of Nepomuk, many chapels (there are 21 chapels in the cathedral), the organ and many other treasures of the temple are available only with tickets. A must see! Now you have the opportunity to see the interior of the temple by turning to.

The underground part of the Royal Tomb is of particular interest. This is the Crypt, the entrance to which is located closer to the altar next to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Visit? Well, let's say it's not for everybody. All the Czech royals are buried in the Krypt. Personally, I am more attracted to the above-ground space of the cathedral: huge, majestic, beautiful in its strict Gothic lines.

Was I able to shed at least a little light on why St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague is named this way, and who gave this to so many generations? architectural masterpiece? Friends, maybe you know some Interesting Facts regarding this most significant landmark of Prague. Please share in the comments.

Your euro guide Tatyana

St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest Catholic church in Prague and the permanent residence of the Archbishop of Prague. The cathedral is recognized as the most important architectural monument European Gothic and is considered a real pearl of the Czech Republic.

The history of the construction of this cathedral is very rich - the first Catholic church was erected in Prague back in 925, and the modern cathedral building began to be built in 1344. It was completed only at the beginning of the 20th century, so construction lasted for as long as 600 years. During this time, the cathedral absorbed many architectural ideas, turning into a real masterpiece of European architecture.

The final length of the cathedral was 124 meters, and its south tower rises to a height of 96 meters. Outside, St. Vitus Cathedral is richly decorated with bas-reliefs and sculptures, and inside, a special atmosphere is created by magnificent colored stained glass windows, which invariably delight tourists.

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral - grandiose historical monument, which was built over 6 centuries by many famous architects, each of whom brought something of their own to this majestic building. Basically, during construction, the style of Gothic France was maintained, which, undoubtedly, every time you look at the cathedral causes delight and awe from this majestic beauty.

The cathedral is huge, and its visitors every time tilt their heads back in admiration to see the spiers and domes at the top of the building. St. Vitus Cathedral can be seen from any part of the city; it is one of the symbols of Prague. Neither time nor adversity affected the construction and condition of the cathedral, which is why it still towers over the city to this day.

Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius

U Orthodox churches Prague has a difficult fate. There was a time when there was not one of these in the city. At the beginning of the 20th century, the existing churches in Prague were “revised”. And the Church of St. Charles of Boromea on Zderaz fell to become the main Orthodox cathedral of the Czech capital.

The Catholic church was built in the 30s of the 18th century in the typical Czech Baroque style: its slender, white-columned appearance is elegant and bright. But it remained a temple for about 50 years, after which it was closed and used for other purposes. Refurbishment of the former church into orthodox cathedral became a good deed for the decaying temple.

The interior decoration of the cathedral is devoid of leafy luxury. But the beauty of the frescoes and the simple altar directed towards the sky help the seeking soul to rise. The outside of the cathedral is full of bullet marks: at the end of 1941, the temple became the center of a military operation famous in history.

Nowadays services are held in the church, and in the crypt there is a small museum dedicated to the sad events of the war.

Observation deck at St. Vitus Cathedral

The observation deck at St. Vitus Cathedral offers tourists a beautiful panoramic view of the Czech capital from a height of 124 meters. The Church of St. Vitus is the heart of Prague and its recognizable symbol. This is a magnificent Gothic building, mesmerizing with its views, both inside and out. After visiting the temple, do not forget to climb its bell tower. To get to the observation deck, you need to go not through the central entrance of the temple, but through the door located to the left of it. A spiral staircase of 300 stone steps leads to the top of the bell tower, where the platform is located. Paid entrance.

One of the most beautiful Gothic churches in Europe, the Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtech. visible from any part of Prague. All other Gothic-style sights of the Czech Republic pale in comparison to it, it is so unique and inimitable. It is located on the territory of Prague Castle.

St. Vitus Cathedral: through the pages of history

This colossal structure has no analogues in the whole world, not only in its Gothic architecture, but above all in its history. Construction of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague began in the mid-14th century and was completed by the 20th century. Historians identify several stages of its legendary construction.

• Stage I: 1344-1419 The initiators of the construction of the cathedral were Archbishop Ernest and King Charles IV of the Czech Republic. The temple was originally intended to be a coronation site, a family crypt and a royal treasury. Due to the Hussite wars, construction was stopped.
• Stage II: 1490-1510 The Czech king Vladislav Jagiellon wanted to complete the construction of the great cathedral and entrusted it to Benedikt Reith, a talented architect, but the process was suspended due to lack of funds.
• Stage III: 1556-1593 New attempts were made to complete the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral, which brought architectural ensemble cathedral elements of baroque.
• IV stage: 1873-1929 Architect Joseph Kranner presented the program for completing the construction of the cathedral. He personally led the renovation work and managed to get rid of the Baroque elements. After Kranner's death, the new architect Josef Moker had to complete the reconstruction. Finally, in 1929, the construction of the legendary cathedral, which lasted almost 600 years, was completed.

Features of Gothic architecture

The Prague Cathedral has all the features of a typical Gothic architectural style. It differs from other Gothic buildings in its impressive size and other features:

• the length of the main nave is 124 meters;
• length of the transverse nave – 60 meters;
• the height of the Great South Tower is about 97 meters;
• the height of the stone neo-Gothic towers is 82 meters;
• height of the internal vault – 33 meters;
• round window in the form of a rosette – 10 meters.

The three portals of the cathedral are decorated with stone and bronze sculptures and reliefs. A unique feature is the gargoyles from the Middle Ages, which according to legend scare away evil spirits, but in practice are drains.

Interior decoration

What attracts the most attention in the cathedral is extraordinary beauty colored stained glass windows. After all, in the Middle Ages it was believed that the light in the temple should be special, unearthly. When the rays of the sun hit the windows, the cathedral seems to light up with rainbow colors. Dozens of Czech artists worked on the stained glass windows, including the famous Alphonse Mucha.

St. Vitus Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral, as well as a royal tomb and a place where coronation regalia is kept, as the coronations of Czech kings took place here until 1918. Dozens of royals and their relatives are buried in the temple. The bodies of emperors and kings are in the Habsburg mausoleum and in the crypt.

Also in a separate side room are family chapels, which were created at the expense of local nobles. In those days, it was a great privilege to have your own place for prayer, and patrons had to arrange their chapel themselves, inviting artists and sculptors. They even bought holy relics and valuable relics to furnish their own chapels.

Tourist Information

Operating mode:

• from November to March: Mon - Sat - 9:00 - 16:00 (Sunday - 12:00 - 16:00);
• from April to October: Mon - Sat - 9:00 - 17:00 (Sunday - 12:00 - 17:00).

Ticket price:

• South Tower - observation deck - 150 CZK;
• exposition “Treasures of the Saint’s Cathedral – 250 CZK;
• “Prague Castle - Circle B” – 250 CZK;
• “Prague Castle - Circle A” – 350 CZK.

How to get to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle

Address: III. nádvoří 48/2, Pražský hrad.

How to get there:

• By tram number 22 – to the “Pražský hrad” stop.
• By metro: go to Malostranská station, then go up the old castle stairs.

Prague sacredly preserves and honors its sights: in this city the cathedral is a real shrine for local citizens. Having seen its greatness and beauty, appreciating its cultural and historical heritage, tourists perfectly understand the residents of Prague. And in the evening you can relax by the amazingly beautiful singing fountain. He is also no less loved and revered.

Address: Pražský hrad III. nádvoří 48/2, 119 01 Prague 1.
Tel: 724-933-441.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00;
in winter from 09:00 to 16:00;
Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00.
How to get there: by trams No. 1, 18, 22, 25, 56, 57, 91. Stop "Pražský hrad", then on foot.
There is no entrance fee.

Slowly, unhurriedly, the Vltava carries its waters. It erodes sandy fords and rises in a foamy wave, clinging to stones near the sheer cliff face. Reflected in the mirror surface, the willows of the Deer Moat wash their braided branches. The cockerel on the spire perked up, wants to get drunk, but the owner won’t let him go - the most significant monument in the Czech Republic, St. Vitus Cathedral. Rising 96 m high, he is all - the desire to heaven, the desire to get closer to the Heavenly Father, capturedwrought by the hands of mortals, the eternal dream of immortality.

The history of the creation of St. Vitus Cathedral

A thousand years have passed since Henry I presented Wenceslas with part of his right hand as a gift. St. Vitus. The relic was too valuable to simply be kept in a shrine. The prince decided to build a worthy repository for the relics. In 926 - 929, a rotunda rose and turned into a court temple. Almost 200 years later, it was rebuilt into a basilica with 3 naves, where the incorruptible remains of Vitus, Vaclav, and Vojtech found their eternal rest.
When the status of the bishopric of Prague was upgraded to an archbishopric, the Emperor of Rome, Charles IV, took up the task of remodeling the building. To realize the great plan, they invited the best architect from Avignon. The brilliant Matthias made the project, received the approval of the customers, and began work. He worked tirelessly for 7 years, erecting walls, arcades, and chapels. His mathematical mind demanded clarity of calculations, correctness of forms, not allowing deviations. Unfortunately, man has no control over the thread of fate: the Moirai spin it, cutting it when they see fit. The time has come to end the life of the first architect. In his place came another, a young dreamer, who saw in masonry not naked calculation, but art - a kind of sculpture. Petr Parler, continuing the work begun by his predecessor, introduced new daring ideas into the project. As a result, the main tower with the extraordinary beauty of the Golden Gate and the colossal vault crowning the main room will rise to the skies. After his death, his sons continued the business, but not for long.
Houses, like people, get sick, grow old, and deteriorate. This building did not escape a similar fate: wars, lack of finance, trial by fire, uprisings, robberies, a lightning strike that split the dome. Like an avalanche, sweeping away everything in its path, tragic events swept through, leaving the shrine unfinished. But Czech she loved her long-suffering child so much that she constantly tried to revive, help, put her on her feet.

In 1873 - 1929 carried out the final work - for the 1000th anniversary of its founding. The country invited the most talented decorative masters, artists, and restorers for interior and exterior decoration. Today we can admire the irresistible perfection of the creations of Alphonse Mucha and Franiszek Kisela, admiring, rejoicing, and being surprised.

Cathedral architecture

Its spiers are visible from distant corners of the capital. The wind gets tangled between the bells, trying to move them at least a little, but it fails. The sun's rays break into myriads of reflections on the precious metal, time freezes in amazement, clinging to the only clock hand. The grandeur of the building attracts with some mysterious force, takes you prisoner, and holds you near you for a long time. Your eyes are wide open from the abundance of elements that have their own secret meaning.
The southern portal is the central main entrance - the "Golden Gate", representing a delightful triple arch in the Gothic style. Above it is a mosaic depicting the Last Judgment: angels support Jesus as he administers justice. The patrons of the Czech lands ask for forgiveness and mercy. Vitus, Lyudmila, Sigismund, Wenceslaus, Adalbert, Procopius stand with their hands folded in prayer and their gaze turned to the Heavenly King. Below are figures of Charles IV and his wife. On the right hand of Christ are saved souls, and on the left are sinners condemned to fiery hell. The artists used gilded glass for the background of the mosaic, thousands of multi-colored pieces, up to 40 shades. This is an elegant, delicate work that requires patience and endurance. The stained glass window above completes the theme.
The bell tower is decorated with a gilded lattice behind which bells hang. The heaviest is "Zikmund". It took 16 pairs of horses to deliver it, but they couldn’t figure out how to lift this colossus to the bell tower. His eldest daughter approached the king with an unusual request: permission to raise the miracle bell. Everyone was amazed at the audacity, but the father allowed it. The princess built a strange mechanism and wove a silk rope. On the appointed day, in full view of a crowd of thousands, the girl did the impossible - the bell took its place, where it is located today. Pundits and courtiers tried to find out the secret of the engine, the young maiden only smiled after destroying her brainchild. A little higher is the stylized letter “P”, reminding descendants how much Rudolph II gave of his strength and finances, and even higher is a clock with one hand and 2 dials. One keeps an hourly countdown, the other keeps a minute and quarter countdown.
Climbing up observation deck, you will see the capital at a glance, but to do this you need to overcome 287 steps without stopping! But you will feel very close to the clouds, although the height is only 56 m (the tower is 96 m).
On the bas-reliefs of the portals on the western side there are scenes from the life of builders and architects. A magnificent rosette will remind you of the creation of the world. The drains are made in the form of mystical creatures that scare away demons. Bizarre gargoyles with their mouths open angrily can be clearly seen when standing underneath them. You involuntarily feel awe, your knees become weak, you feel the desire to sit down in a half-bow, to pay tribute to the masters who, through the darkness of centuries, managed to convey the power of human thought and spirit in a man-made miracle, to sing the triumph of faith and talent.

Interior decoration

With our hearts beating strongly, we enter the canopy of the cathedral, look around, and remember the creators. The huge rectangular space (128x60 m) of the holy place is enveloped in light refracted in colored glass, separating the secular and otherworldly worlds. On 37 stained glass windows there are various scenes from the life of Cyril and Methodius. Little Vaclav and his grandmother St. Ludmila are also here - patrons of the Czech Republic. Curly women's hair, flowing, flowing clothes combined with lilies, tinted ovals, circles - a magnificent example of the Art Nouveau style.
Columns (28) along the perimeter support a lace vault that rises to 33.5 m. On the balcony (triforium) at a height of 14 m there are sculptural images of those who contributed to the epoch-making construction: kings, members of their families, bishops, architects. The striking resemblance of the sculptures to the originals seems unreal. Different expressions of eyes, smiles. Strictness, concentration, pulsating thought are discernible. Truly there is no limit to God's gift - talent.

Chapels of the shrine

There are 21 of them within these walls. There is no need to list all the decorations - you need to look. But I would like to talk about some, more memorable ones.
In the chapel, which bears the name of the Virgin Mary, stands the beautiful Trevira reliquary, made of silver, the custodian of the mortal remains of 43 saints. Jewelers decorated it with jewelry, on the walls there were frescoes from the life of St. Anna, under the floor there were graves of the Nostitsky family.
On the altar of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity is the life of Mary. On the gilded panels to the right of the Mother of God is Christ preaching to the people, Tenderness; on the left side are episodes of Candlemas and the Annunciation. Below them is one of the miracles: the transformation of water into wine at a wedding in Gaul.
The altar of John of Nepomuk's chapel is decorated with silver busts of saints. These are Vit, Vojtech, Vaclav, Kirill. The tombstone weighs 2 tons, representing a masterpiece of silver casting. Platinum and gold complement the luxury of a masterpiece created with public money. Its author is Fischer von Erlach. A statue of the martyr himself, angels supporting the coffin, a winged putti holding a katus, on which a tongue is visible as a reminder that he remained incorruptible, although scientists deny this fact.

Wenceslas Chapel

The relics of the saint were never transferred - the burial was always right here, above the rotunda, which became the basis of the structure. Dressed in armor, with a spear and shield, he froze against the background of a fresco inlaid with semi-precious stones and gems. In gilded frames, the wall paintings tell about the life of the prince. Stone and gilded floor slabs emphasize the overall impression - everything is unique, aimed at reverence, endless gratitude, and memory.

Crown Chamber

In it, behind seven locks, there are symbols of power: a scepter, an orb, a crown, a mantle. Only seven high-ranking men, led by the president, gathered together, can open it - each has his own key. Everything is made of pure gold: the crown weighs 2.5 kg, the scepter - more than 1 kg, the orb - 780 g. The noble metal is interspersed with sapphires, emeralds, spinels, and pearls. Highly artistic engraving of coronation scenes, entwined with grape leaves, tendrils, and flowers, spreads in mysterious script over the objects. The library houses a rare collection of manuscripts, and the outer wall is an example of Renaissance tombstones.

Vault of antiquities

Z Here many treasures of antiquity found their residence: the pinnacle of the jeweler's creations - the Trevira casket-crayfish, a wooden altar with a carved crucifix, the magic horns of Roland, the favorite of Charles IV. The legend says: the monarch found the relic and put it in a cache for safekeeping. During a severe fire, Ferdinand, thinking that the sound of the horn could drown out the sound of the melting bells, blew it. Residents of nearby houses panicked. Thinking that the end of the world had come, they jumped out of the windows and the ramparts, for the earth was shaking and the roar was terrible. Since then, there have been no brave souls who wanted to touch the magical artifact.
A concert of organ music is a true pleasure for gourmets; the instrument is one of the best in Europe.
After leaving the temple, looking back again at the amazing, unique Gothic monument, be sure to note the rooster on the spire. Legends say that initially there was an idol of Svyatovit on the top of the cliff. Bread and rolls of bread were brought to the altar of the main Slavic deity, and black roosters were sacrificed. This is how idolatry and Christianity came together: Svyatovit - Saint Vi T.