Saint Vitus’s Cathedral

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St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic, features tall Gothic spires, ornate stonework, and a large central tower, with people gathered in the open square below.

Saint Vitus’s Cathedral

cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic

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July 13, 2026

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St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic, features tall Gothic spires, ornate stonework, and a large central tower, with people gathered in the open square below. — Prague: St. Vitus's Cathedral St. Vitus's Cathedral, Prague.

Saint Vitus's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located within Prague Castle, the seat of the president of the Czech Republic. The foundation stone for the current cathedral was laid in 1344, and it was built in a late Gothic style, though construction was not completed until 1929. The cathedral safeguards the crown jewels of Bohemia. It stands on the site of an earlier church dedicated to Saint Vitus, which was built in the 10th century and where Saint Wenceslas I was interred. The cathedral's twin spires are a prominent feature of the Prague skyline.12

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Bohemian school
…(Karlštejn Castle, near Prague) and St. Vitus’s Cathedral (Prague). The cathedral and parts of Karlštejn Castle were begun according to routine French design by the Flemish master mason Mathieu d’Arras; when Mathieu died in 1352, the work on both buildings was taken over by the influential German architect Petr Parléř,…
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…(Karlštejn Castle, near Prague) and St. Vitus’s Cathedral (Prague). The cathedral and parts of Karlštejn Castle were begun according to routine French design by the Flemish master mason Mathieu d’Arras; when Mathieu died in 1352, the work on both buildings was taken over by the influential German architect Petr Parléř,…
Read More

Western architecture
High Gothic
…most important is probably the cathedral of Prague (founded in 1344). The plan was devised according to routine French principles by the first master mason, Mathieu d’Arras. When he died in 1352, his place was taken (1353–99) by Petr Parléř, the most influential mason in Prague and a member of…
Read More
…most important is probably the cathedral of Prague (founded in 1344). The plan was devised according to routine French principles by the first master mason, Mathieu d’Arras. When he died in 1352, his place was taken (1353–99) by Petr Parléř, the most influential mason in Prague and a member of…
Read More

Prague Castle
…interred in 932 in the Church of St. Vitus, predecessor to a cathedral dedicated to the same saint. The foundation stone of St. Vitus Cathedral was laid on the Hradčany Hill in 1344 at the behest of Charles IV, the future king of Bohemia and Holy Roman emperor. The architect…
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…interred in 932 in the Church of St. Vitus, predecessor to a cathedral dedicated to the same saint. The foundation stone of St. Vitus Cathedral was laid on the Hradčany Hill in 1344 at the behest of Charles IV, the future king of Bohemia and Holy Roman emperor. The architect…
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Petr Parléř
… to Prague to continue the cathedral church of St. Vitus. Seemingly influenced by English late Gothic style, he built complicated vaults with hanging bosses and ribs rising free through space; these vaults were the first real net vaults on the European continent. Parléř was also the first to use an…
Read More
… to Prague to continue the cathedral church of St. Vitus. Seemingly influenced by English late Gothic style, he built complicated vaults with hanging bosses and ribs rising free through space; these vaults were the first real net vaults on the European continent. Parléř was also the first to use an…
Read More