1 Chrám Svatého Mikuláše (St Nicholas's Church)
2 Josefov
3 Katedrála Svatého Víta (St Vitus's Cathedral)
4 Loreta
5 Pražský Hrad (Prague Castle)
6 Staroměstská Radnice (Old Town Hall)
7 Šternberský Palác (Sternberg Palace)
8 Strahovský Klášter (Strahov Monastery)
9 Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square)
10 Veletržní Palác (Veletrzny Palace)
St Vitus's took nearly six centuries to complete and was consecrated only in 1929. Yet it stands on the site of a chapel founded in 925.
Work started on the present Gothic building in 1344, under the direction of Matthias of Arras. The German, Petr Parléř (Peter Parler), and his two sons were responsible for the lofty choir and the surrounding chapels, which were finally completed early in the 15th century. The tower on the south side was given its Renaissance steeple in 1562, to which baroque embellishments were later added. The nave and the impressive west end date from the second half of the 19th century. The Golden Portal (the original entrance), on the south side, contains a mosaic of the Last Judgement, dating from 1370, which has recently been restored to its former glory.
The Chapel of St Wenceslas, dating from 1358-67, is one of the oldest parts of the building and the most beautifully decorated. The lower walls are encrusted with scintillating jasper and amethyst, while the frescos (14th-16th centuries) depict scenes from the passion of Christ and the life of St Wenceslas (the saint is buried directly underneath the chapel). The foundations of the 11th-century Romanesque basilica were unearthed as the cathedral was nearing completion and can be seen in the crypt, along with the sarcophagi of the kings of Bohemia. King Vladislav Jagiello commissioned the beautiful Royal Oratory in the 1480s: the vaulted ceiling, shaped like the branches of a tree, is highly unusual. An exquisite silver funerary monument to the cult saint, John of Nepomuk, by Fischer von Erlach, was erected in the choir in 1736. One of the cherubs points to the saint's tongue, which was said never to have decayed. The cathedral also contains fine 20th-century stained glass, notably Alfons Mucha's portrait of saints Cyril and Methodius in the third chapel from the west end.Address: Pražský hrad, Hradčany, Praha 1
Phone: None
Hours: Apr-Oct daily 9-5, tower 9-4
Restaurant: Café (Inexpensive), restaurants (Moderately priced-Expensive) near by
Bus: 22
Metro: None
Train: None
Accessible: Few
Admission: Free
Other: Pražský hrad, Klášter Svatého Jiří
Practical: Moderate charge for crypt, tower and choir
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