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The royal Premyslid family resided, after the
unification of the czech territories, in Prague
Castle. They also built religious buildings
within its grounds. Saint Vitus Cathedral forms,
together with the Castle and Charles Bridge,
a unique sight.
The foundation of the cathedral
was a church in the shape of a rotunda, founded
by Prince Václav (Wenceslas) in the year 926. The importance
of the church grew when the relics of Wenceslas
were moved into it and also with its promotion
to bishopric. The prince, who was killed by
his own brother, became a national saint and
the church became too small for all the pilgrims
who came to pay homage to him. Therefore a
Romanesque basilica with three naves was built
on the place of the rotunda.
A fundamental
period in the history of Saint Vitus Cathedral
began halfway the 14th century. Charles IV
was still Count of Moravia at that time. During
his visit in Avignon he urged the Pope to
promote the Prague bishopric to an archbishopric.
Clement IV used to be his teacher at the french
court and complied with the wishes of his
pupil and friend. Naturally the cathedral
had to conform to this promotion too. Already
during his stay in Avignon Charles arranged
for the renowned architect, Matthias of Arras
to begin the construction. This Flemish architect
used elements of the classic style of cathedrals
in Northern France which was very wide spread.
He also used this conception in Bohemia.
A complete description of the architecture and the decoration of the cathedral can not be composed in brief. Just a few of the most important elements will be mentioned here.
The chapel of Saint Wenceslas (Svatý Václav) was placed in
the cathedral as a separate architectural
formation on the site of the tomb in the old
basilica. Its artistic value belongs to the
most important monuments of Czech expressive
arts. Unlike all other chapels it was built
with closed walls. The walls are covered with
big, gleaming gems. Between the stones of
carnelian, amethyst, chalcedony and chrysoprase
are paintings.
The sculpture of Saint Wenceslas is the most beautiful in the chapel. It belongs to the greatest czech gothic works of art. The main feature is the tomb altar of the Saint. Saint Wenceslas chapel is considered to be the most sacred place in the Czech country. The lofty cathedral was used for holy services as well as a burial ground of statesmen and church officials. It is richly decorated with sculptures, especially on the tombstones.
That of Saint John of Nepomuk is worthy of special attention. The sculpted part of the coffin with the kneeling figure of the saint is made in silver and was the first sculptural work in rococo style in the Czech country.
Also famous are the decorative sculpture of Saint Vitus' triforium. Twenty one busts of members of Charles IV family, and also Prague archbishops and builders of the cathedral, were placed in its lower gallery. Ten sculptures presenting Christ, the Virgin Mary and Czech patrons are in the higher gallery. The elaborate decorations are too numerous to mention.
On the outside
are the peculiarly expressive gargoyles, representing
the struggle between good and evil. Also the
Golden Gate is admired by all visitors. Its
façade is covered with a mosaic of
coloured stones and behind it is constructed
with gilded glass bricks. It presents the
final judgement and it is unique of its kind.
The Golden Gate gives entrance to a hall.
Above the vault of this hall is a room where
the czech crown jewels are kept. Charles IV
had the old crown of the Premyslid dynasty
repaired in the year 1346. The golden diadem
is covered with 91 precious stones and 20
rare pearls. The sceptre and the apple are
masterpieces too. Charles IV dedicated the
crown to Saint Wenceslas and the kings were
only to wear it at celebrations and only in
Prague. It is said that whoever places the
crown on his head without authority will die.
When Czechoslovakia was occuppied by the Germans during the second World War, the imperial protector Heydrich laughed at this "superstition". He tried on the Saint Vitus crown and even put it on the head of his son. Heydrich died after the assassination attempt by members of the Czech landing forces from Great Britain. The boy was later run over by a car in a notorious accident.
The cathedral treasure contains an immense amount of valuable objects. Because the treasure house of the cathedral was not big enough for all of them, they were moved to the Holy Cross Chapel in the second castle yard. Saint Vitus Cathedral is for the Czech people both a symbol and an ensemble of christian tradition, cultural, national and political values.
