The St. Vitus Cathedral of Prague

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

The citizens of Prague look up to St. Vitus Cathedral, which stands on the highest point of the city, a position that states the importance of the building and the spiritual realm that it represents. (Pavels Dunaicevs/Shutterstock)

The St. Vitus Cathedral is located on a hill that overlooks the city of Prague. When construction began in the 14th century, Prague was the third-largest city in the world after Rome and Constantinople. In this grand Gothic cathedral, kings have been crowned, married, and buried, and national treasures have been held.

As in the past, pilgrims continue to pay their respects to the church’s patron saints Wenceslaus, Vitus, and others represented within.

French master-builder Matthias of Arras brought with him the French Gothic style. He employed a system of harmonious proportions to underpin the overarching composition. The cathedral’s slender verticality is created by tall interior columns that form the central nave, and by ribbed vaulting that holds the seemingly weightless, high ceiling. On the exterior, carved stone spires top flying buttresses that support the walls, the pointed arched windows and portals, and the main façade.

A Gothic architect set the style of the cathedral, but it remained only half-completed for several centuries. A baroque spire was added to the south tower during the 18th century. Then, in the late 19th century, architect Josef Kranner took up the challenge, forging ahead with the building’s Gothic style. He and others who followed added the main nave and front façade, finally completing it in the early 20th century. 

While architectural styles have come and gone, St. Vitus Cathedral’s inherent beauty stands as a testimony to the structural mastery and lofty interiors of the timeless Gothic aesthetic. The cathedral’s completion reflects the perseverance of a culture and its people. 

The three portals are capped with pointed arches and reflect the triple-naved basilica plan within. The cathedral is characterized by two tall towers with long, thin windows and spires that create its verticality. The façade faces west, and in the center, a rose window allows in afternoon light. (TTstudio/Shutterstock)

The cathedral glows at dusk. The exterior of the three chapels is shown here at the east end of the building. (krcil/Shutterstock)

The flying buttresses, horizontal structures that extend from the main part of the church, support the vaulted ceiling. This allows for thinner walls and larger stained glass windows. The ornamental spires give weight and stability to the buttresses and offer a delicate quality to the architecture. (ABO Photography/Shutterstock)

The stone-sculpted gargoyles were created to prevent rain damage to the building by moving the water away from the stone walls. Their animated sculptural forms were intended to ward off evil spirits. (Tilman2007/CC BY-SA 4.0)

Statues of gargoyles, saints, or local, contemporary dignitaries animate the façade surrounding the central rose window. (elvistudio/Shutterstock)

Created by Frantisek Kysela in 1925, the rose window on the main west-facing façade forms a radiating pattern of eight petals. Filled with colorful geometric-shaped stained glass, the form is a beautiful centerpiece for the nave that glows in the afternoon sun. The inscriptions on the stained glass tell the story of creation as told in the Bible. (Romas-Vysniauskas/Shutterstock)

The interior columns elegantly line the nave leading to the pointed arch that frames the entrance, with the prominent rose window above. (WDG/Shutterstock)

The columns are carved in clusters, giving them a weightless feeling as they merge with the ribbed vaulting (arch-like ceiling structure). The rib-like supports unfurl like tendrils of ferns that seem to hold the weightless ceiling. The eye and heart lift upward to the tall upper-level windows that allow light to stream in, creating a lofty spiritual feeling. (siloto/Shutterstock)

Tracery are stone structures that hold the sections of stained glass windows. Their vine-like sculptural forms create a weightless effect, lightening the atmosphere of the window composition. The scene here is a depiction by famous Prague artist Max Svabinsky of the Last Judgment. (ErwinMeier/CC BY-SA 4.0)

In this triptych, the stained glass windows with angled sides appear on the south side of the cathedral. Their glowing quality creates a sense of awe. In the center, Jesus is held in the hands of the Creator, and above a white dove appears, symbolic of the Holy Trinity. On the left, we see the Virgin Mary and, on the right, St. Wenceslas and St. Vitus on their knees. (ErwinMeier/CC BY-SA 4.0)

German-Bohemian Peter Parler, who followed Matthias of Arras as the cathedral architect, treated the architecture as sculpture, as shown in the chapel dedicated to St. Wenceslaus. The dome vault and frescoed walls seem to extend the space beyond the plan of the interior walls. (ErwinMeier/CC BY-SA 4.0)

An aerial view of the St Vitus Cathedral in Prague. The light green copper spire was added during the Baroque period. (Otourly/CC BY-SA 4.0)