Prague, Czech Republic – St. Vitus Cathedral, Part 1 – the Church

In 2015, my church choir vade a concert tour of Europe (we sang 4 concerts) and one of the cities we visited was Prague in the Czech Republic. While there, we toured the St. Vitus Cathedral. (I would have sworn that I posted a set of these photos, but a search does not find it – I guess I dreamed it.)

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert is a Roman Catholic metropolitan cathedral in Prague, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Until 1997, the cathedral was dedicated only to Saint Vitus, and is still commonly named only as St. Vitus Cathedral. It is the last of 3 churches erected on the site, all dedicated to St. Vitus. Construction of the present-day Gothic Cathedral began on 21 November 1344. Construction went slowly, and in 1541 the building was heavily damaged by fire. It was not completed until 1929, having taken almost 600 years to be built. The main organ in the northern transept was built in 1929-1931 by Josef Molzel and more recently overhauled by Brachtl a Kánský. It is not huge, having 3 manuals, 58 stops, and 4,475 pipes.

Exterior views

DSC_1567-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr


DSC_1477-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr


DSC_1529-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (sorry—didn’t fix the perspective)


DSC_1487-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the entrance)

Interior views

DSC_1501-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (looking into the Apse)


DSC_1503-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Pulpit)


DSC_1505-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (stairs to the loft)


DSC_1524-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (big wooden doors)


DSC_1510-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (Confessionals)


DSC_1514-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Old Archbishop’s Chapel)


DSC_1526-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the main organ)


DSC_1499-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (a wooden Crucifix)


DSC_1520-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (Tomb of St. John Nepomuk)


DSC_1515-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (statue of St. Vitus)


DSC_1504-2.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickrr (“The Creation” window)

Link to Part 2: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-676077-1.html#11787772