St Vitus Cathedral is your next must see!
It looks like the type of place harbouring a portal to the next realm. It’s creaky, and with an air of ecclesial benevolence, stepping over the threshold might be the very thing to get you praying. I’m talking about St. Vitus Cathedral, of course. It’s a large, rather ominous looking gothic building shielded within the court yard of Prague’s castle.
Originally built in 930, this massive, impressive and quite frankly, alluring structure has undergone a few regenerations. The current cathedral standing today was built in 1344 — with dimensions of 124 x 60 metres. The main tower is 102.8 metres high, the front tower is 82 metres high and the arch height 33.2 metres high (thanks wiki).
Getting inside was no easy feat either, as queues snaked around the corner as people all over the world travelled miles to also get a small glimpse of this incredible building. Luckily, I visited on a day where the sun was feeling playful and allowed us to easily bask in its forgiving warmth.
The queue was forgettable, a ten minute wait at max, so with the easy feel of the sun and the opportunity to soak up the gorgeous architecture, waiting outside was no chore. It was also worth it. Inside was glorious. The arches were webbed together like a spider spun the connections, the alter more inviting than the church doors, and looking up revealed a host of surprises, from murals to myths, the cathedral walls exuded stories from long ago.
As St Vitus is located inside a castle, the cathedral is home to the resting place of many monarchs, including the Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors. The Cathedral itself has the denomination of Roman Catholic. It was named after St Vitus, back in 930, after the Duke of Bohemia, Wenceslaus I, held a holy relic of the arm of St Vitus, given to him by Emperor Henry I. His original design entailed a rotunda, which was expanded in 1060, after Prince Spytihnev desired a more spacious holy space. He constructed a basilica.
The cathedral standing today was constructed in 1344, by King John of Bohemia, who envisioned this space to become a coronation space for him, as well as a family crypt, and a treasury for relics of the Kingdom.
Absolutely steeped in history, the cathedral’s origins are just a starting place to imagine what the walls much have seen over its lifetime. The palace sits on a rather large hill, but the walk is worth the views when you ascend the tower. To me, the Cathedral held the vibe of gold, shimmering and everlasting.
With so much more depth and history, the tour of the cathedral can easily take up to two hours, or there is an option to roam alone. Of course, what you choose is up to you, but I would recommend this captivating attraction whenever you decide to visit the Czech Republic.
