Hradčany ( Czech pronunciation: [ˈɦratʃanɪ] ; German : Hradschin ), is the district of the city of Prague , Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle .
62-416: The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about 570 metres (1,870 feet) in length and an average of about 130 metres (430 feet) wide. Its history stretches back to the 9th century. St Vitus Cathedral is located in the castle area. Most of the district consists of noble historical palaces . There are many other attractions for visitors: romantic nooks, peaceful places and beautiful lookouts. Hradčany
124-517: A Vojtěcha ) is a Catholic metropolitan cathedral in Prague , and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague . Until 1997, the cathedral was dedicated only to Saint Vitus, and is still commonly named only as St. Vitus Cathedral ( Czech : katedrála svatého Víta or svatovítská katedrála ). This cathedral is a prominent example of Gothic architecture , and is the largest and most important church in
186-436: A baroque organ, which was built in 1765 by Anton Gartner. It had 40 stops on 3 manuals and pedals. This case is purely decorative. The associated work was transported around 1909 and was lost. The lower neoclassical casing contains today's main organ. It was built by Josef Melzel in the years 1929–31. A general overhaul was carried out by the organ builder Brachtl a Kánský (1999–2001). The rather modest instrument in relation to
248-536: A certain Master Petrilk, who by all accounts was also a member of Parler's workshop. Under these three masters, the transept and the great tower on its south side were finished. So was the gable which connects the tower with the south transept. Nicknamed 'Golden Gate' (likely because of the golden mosaic of Last Judgment depicted on it), it is through this portal that the kings entered the cathedral for coronation ceremonies. The entire building process came to
310-661: A coronation church, family crypt, treasury for the most precious relics of the kingdom, and the last resting place cum pilgrimage site of patron saint Wenceslaus. The first master builder was a Frenchman Matthias of Arras , summoned from the Papal Palace in Avignon . Matthias designed the overall layout of the building as, basically, an import of French Gothic: a triple-naved basilica with flying buttresses , short transept , five-bayed choir and decagon apse with ambulatory and radiating chapels. However, he lived to build only
372-887: A determination on the true owner of the structure. After 14 years, in June 2006, the City Court in Prague decided that the 1954 decree did not change the ownership of the cathedral and the owner is the Metropolitan Chapter at Saint Vitus. In September 2006, the President's Office ceded the administration to the Metropolitan Chapter. However, in February 2007, the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic reversed
434-413: A halt with the beginning of Hussite War in the first half of 15th century. The war brought an end to the workshop that operated steadily over for almost a century, and the furnishings of cathedral, dozens of pictures and sculptures, suffered heavily from the ravages of Hussite iconoclasm . As if this was not enough, a great fire in 1541 heavily damaged the cathedral. Perhaps the most outstanding place in
496-461: A saint whose name ( Svatý Vít in Czech) sounds very much like the name of Slavic solar deity Svantevit . Two religious populations, the increasing Christian and decreasing pagan community, lived simultaneously in Prague castle at least until the 11th century. In the year 1060, as the bishopric of Prague was founded, prince Spytihněv II embarked on building a more spacious church, as it became clear
558-459: A society under the full name "Union for Completion of the Cathedral of St. Vitus in Prague" was formed, whose aim was to repair, complete and rid the structure of everything mutilated and stylistically inimical . Josef Kranner headed the work from 1861 to 1866 which consisted mostly of repairs, removing Baroque decorations deemed unnecessary and restoring the interior. In 1870 workers finally laid
620-588: Is characterised by ornate and extraordinary vaulting, a practice which was started by Parler's development of his own vaulting system for the choir of St. Vitus Cathedral. Another regional Gothic style also displays amazing ingenuity and ornamentation in the design of vaults, the Perpendicular Style of English Gothic . A question remains of what was influenced by what. Some British art and architecture historians suspected that Peter Parler might have travelled to England at some point in his life, studying
682-582: Is the loudest. The Lord will be with us. Nothing to fear. Just take good care of my son.") John was succeeded as King of Bohemia by his eldest son, Charles . In Luxembourg , he was succeeded by Wenceslaus , his son by his second wife. The body of John the Blind was moved to Kloster Altmünster ("Old-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. When the abbey was destroyed in 1543, the corpse was moved to Kloster Neumünster ("New-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. During
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#1732764855961744-423: Is the third of a series of religious buildings at the site, all dedicated to St. Vitus. The first church was an early Romanesque rotunda founded by Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia in 930. This patron saint was chosen because Wenceslaus had acquired a holy relic – the arm of St. Vitus – from Emperor Henry I . It is also possible that Wenceslaus, wanting to convert his subjects to Christianity more easily, chose
806-510: The Battle of Crécy in 1346 John controlled Phillip's advanced guard along with managing the large contingents of Charles II of Alençon and Louis I, Count of Flanders . John was killed at age 50 while fighting against the English during the battle. The medieval chronicler Jean Froissart left the following account of John's last actions: ...for all that he was nigh blind, when he understood
868-850: The Parler family (both of which were established at the building site of St. Vitus) designed numerous churches and buildings across Central Europe. More notable examples include Stephansdom cathedral in Vienna , Strasbourg Cathedral , Church of St. Marko in Zagreb and the Church of St. Barbara in Kutna Hora , also in Czech Republic. Regional Gothic styles of Slovenia , northern Croatia , Austria , Czech Republic, and southern Germany were all heavily influenced by Parler design. Of particular interest are Parler's net vaults . The Late Gothic of Central Europe
930-629: The Polish and Hungarian throne. His attempts to follow his father as King of the Romans failed with the election of Louis IV of Bavaria in 1314. Nevertheless, John later would support Louis IV in his rivalry with Frederick the Fair, King of Germany , culminating in the 1322 Battle of Mühldorf in which, in return, he thus received the Czech region of Egerland as a reward. Like his predecessor Henry, he
992-461: The Rhineland in 1833, offering the remains as a gift. As Frederick William counted John the Blind among his ancestors, he ordered Karl Friedrich Schinkel to construct a funeral chapel. The chapel was built in 1834 and 1835 near Kastel-Staadt on a rock above the town. In 1838, on the anniversary of his death, John the Blind was laid in a black marble sarcophagus in a public ceremony. In 1945,
1054-531: The abbey church in Hildesheim and the Speyer Cathedral . The southern apse of the rotunda was incorporated into the eastern transept of the new church because it housed the tomb of St. Wenceslaus, who had by now become the patron saint of the Czech princes. A bishop's mansion was also built south of the new church, and was considerably enlarged and extended in the mid-12th century. Construction of
1116-625: The Bohemian throne took place on 7 February 1311, making them King and Queen of Bohemia. The castle at Prague was uninhabitable, so John made residence in one of the houses on the Old Town Square, and with the help of his advisors, he stabilized affairs in the Czech state. He thereby became one of the seven prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and – in succession of his brother-in-law Wenceslaus III of Bohemia – claimant to
1178-825: The Elbow-high to the Polish crown, John supported the Teutonic Knights in the Polish–Teutonic War from 1326 to 1332 . He also made several Silesian dukes swear an oath of allegiance to him. In 1335 in Congress of Visegrád , Władysław's successor King Casimir III the Great of Poland paid a significant amount of money in exchange for John's giving up his claim to the Polish throne. John's first steps as king were re-establishing authority and securing peace within
1240-580: The Imperial crown in opposition to Louis. John lost his eyesight at age 39 or 40 from ophthalmia in 1336, while crusading in Lithuania. A treatment by the famous physician Guy de Chauliac had no positive effects. At the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War in 1337, he allied with King Philip VI of France and was even appointed governor of Languedoc from 30 November 1338 to November 1340. At
1302-538: The Luxembourg government took the chance to obtain possession of the bones. In a cloak and dagger operation, the remains were moved to the crypt of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg . The inscription on the tomb reads: " D.O.M. Hoc Sub Altari Servatur Ioannes, Rex Bohemiæ, Comes Luxemburgensis, Henrici vii Imperatoris Filius, Caroli iv Imperatoris Pater Wenceslai, Et Sigismundi Imperatorum Avus, Princeps Animo Maximus, obiit mcccxl 30 au. " John
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#17327648559611364-516: The Queen that Lord Lipá intended to overthrow John. Consequently, in 1315, John had Jindřich imprisoned. By 1318, John had reconciled with the nobility and recognised their rights, further establishing dualism of the Estates and a government division between the king and the nobles. Foreign politics, rather than Czech, appealed to John, as he was gifted at it. With the help of his father, Henry, John
1426-511: The battle against the English at Crécy was lost and he better should flee to save his own life, John the Blind replied: " Absit, ut rex Boemie fugeret, sed illuc me ducite, ubi maior strepitus certaminis vigeret, Dominus sit nobiscum, nil timeamus, tantum filium meum diligenter custodite. ("Far be it that the King of Bohemia should run away. Instead, take me to the place where the noise of the battle
1488-706: The case in the European Court for Human Rights however in May 2010, the new Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka and the state president Václav Klaus together declared that they did not wish to continue with court conflicts. They constituted that the seven persons who are traditionally holders of the keys of the Saint Wenceslaus Chamber with the Bohemian Crown Jewels become also a board to coordinate and organize administration and use of
1550-422: The cathedral is a Neo-Gothic addition, much of the design and elements developed by Peter Parler were used in the restoration, giving the cathedral as a whole a harmonious, unified look. In 1997, on 1000th anniversary of the death of Saint Adalbert , the patrocinium (dedication) of the church was re-dedicated to Saint Wenceslaus and Saint Adalbert. The previous Romanesque basilica had this triple patrocinium to
1612-539: The cathedral is the Chapel of St. Wenceslaus , which houses relics of the saint. Peter Parler constructed the room between 1356 (the year he took over) and 1364 with a ribbed vault . The lower portions of the walls are decorated with over 1300 semi-precious stones and paintings depicting the Passion of Christ dating from the original decoration of the chapel in 1372–1373. The upper area of the walls have paintings depicting
1674-606: The cathedral. However, controversy about ownership of some related canonry houses continues. In July 2012, the Chamber of Deputies passed a bill to compensate the churches for property seized by the Communist government. The Senate approved the bill in November 2012 and the government implemented it the following June after clearing legal challenges. The St. Vitus Cathedral has two organ casings. The upper façade belonged to
1736-642: The confusion of the French Revolution , the mortal remains were salvaged by the Boch industrialist family (founders of Villeroy & Boch , ennobled in 1892) and hidden in an attic room in Mettlach on the Saar River . The legend is that the abbey monks asked Pierre-Joseph Boch for this favour. His son Jean-François Boch met with the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia on his voyage through
1798-433: The country. In 1311, he reached an agreement with the Bohemian and Moravian aristocracy, referred to as the "inaugural diplomas", with which John restricted the relations of both the ruler and aristocracy. The aristocracy was, however, allowed to hold the right to elect the king, to decide the matter of extraordinary taxation, the right to their property, and the right to choose freely whether or not to offer military support to
1860-532: The country. Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors , the cathedral is under the ownership of the Czech government as part of the Prague Castle complex. The cathedral's dimensions are 124 m × 60 m (407 ft × 197 ft), the main tower is 102.8 m (337 ft) high, front towers 82 m (269 ft), arch height 33.2 m (109 ft). The current cathedral
1922-477: The couple from Nuremberg to Prague, John was thus forced to invade Bohemia on behalf of his wife Elizabeth. The Czech forces were able to gain control of Prague and depose the reigning king, Henry of Gorizia, King of Bohemia , on 3 December 1310. The deposed King Henry fled with his wife Anne of Bohemia (the sister of John's wife) to his duchy (the Duchy of Carinthia ). The coronation of John and Elizabeth to
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1984-593: The decision of the City Court and returned the case to the common court. In September 2007, the District Court of Prague 7 decided that the cathedral is owned by the Czech Republic, this decision was confirmed by the City Court in Prague and the Constitutional Court rejected the appeal of the Metropolitan Chapter, however noted that the chapter unquestionably owns the interior furnishings of the cathedral. The Metropolitan Chapter considered continuing
2046-842: The diet of electors. In return for his support, Louis, as the new emperor, promised the support in territorial claims of the Czech state in Silesia and Meissen as well as the region of Cheb and the Upper Palatinate . Later, in 1319, after the Brandenburg House of Ascania died out, John regained control over the Bautzen region and then the Görlitz region in 1329. In 1322/23, King John became unsettled by Louis's growing power and allied with France and Austria against him. The dispute would escalate with his son Charles claiming
2108-601: The easternmost parts of the choir: the arcades and the ambulatory. The slender verticality of Late French Gothic and clear, almost rigid respect of proportions distinguish his work today. After Matthias' death in 1352, 23-year-old Peter Parler assumed control of the cathedral workshop as master builder. He was son of the architect of the Heilig-Kreuz-Münster in Schwäbisch Gmünd . Initially, Parler only worked on plans left by his predecessor, building
2170-418: The existing rotunda was too small to accommodate the faithful. A much larger and more representative Romanesque basilica was built in its spot. Though still not completely reconstructed, most experts agree it was a triple-aisled basilica with two choirs and a pair of towers connected to the western transept. The design of the cathedral nods to Romanesque architecture of the Holy Roman Empire , most notably to
2232-509: The famous Czech Art Nouveau painter Alfons Mucha decorated the new windows in the north part of nave. Frantisek Kysela designed the rose window from 1925 to 1927, which depicts scenes from the Biblical story of creation . By the time of St. Wenceslaus jubilee in 1929, the St. Vitus cathedral was finally finished, nearly 600 years after it was begun. Despite the fact that the entire western half of
2294-514: The father of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor , one of the more significant Kings of Bohemia and one of the leading Holy Roman Emperors. John was the eldest son of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret of Brabant , who was the daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders . Born in Luxembourg and raised in Paris , John was French by education but deeply involved in
2356-399: The foundations of the new nave, and in 1873, after Kranner's death, architect Josef Mocker assumed control of the reconstruction. He designed the west façade in a typical classic Gothic manner with two towers, and the same design was adopted, after his death, by the third and final architect of restoration, Kamil Hilbert. In the 1920s the sculptor Vojtěch Sucharda worked on the façade, and
2418-615: The governance of the Empire. This allowed John to reach further, and he contributed to the imperial coronation along with helping with the conclusion of the Italian territorial wars. In 1313, Henry died suddenly, ending this collaboration between him and John. However, through Henry's death, a spot for the imperial crown opened up, making John a possible candidate, the other two candidates being Fredrick of Habsburg and Louis of Bavaria . In attempts not to support Fredrick, John voted for Louis at
2480-694: The great English Gothic cathedrals, which then inspired his work on St. Vitus. However, taking into account that the Perpendicular style and the use of truly extravagant vaults in English Gothic began at the very end of 14th century, it is also quite possible that it was St. Vitus Cathedral of Prague that influenced the development of English Gothic. John of Luxembourg John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( Luxembourgish : Jang de Blannen ; German: Johann der Blinde ; Czech : Jan Lucemburský ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346),
2542-483: The influence it gained after Wenceslas II died. The growing tensions within the aristocracy and the lack of communication due to John's consistent absence in Bohemia led to a competition between two factions of the Czech nobility. One party, led by Jindřich of Lipá , gained the trust of John. The other party, led by Vilém Zajíc of Valdek (Latin: Wilhelmus Lepus de Waldek ; German: Wilhelm Hase von Waldeck ), convinced
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2604-451: The king in foreign wars. However, the aristocracy was encouraged to raise armies when peace within the country was threatened. On the other hand, the king's right to appoint a foreign official to office was abolished. John structured these agreements to provide a basis for consolidating the ruler's power within the Bohemian kingdom. The agreements weren't as successful as John intended. The aristocracy did not intend to surrender its property and
2666-461: The large church space has 58 stops on 3 manuals and pedals, 4,475 pipes in total. The action is purely pneumatic. With a large number of basic pipes (flutes and principals) and little reeds (trumpets), the instrument has a rather gentle tone – a typical feature of post-Romantic organs. The Cathedral of St. Vitus had a tremendous influence on the development of Late Gothic style characteristic for Central Europe. Members of Parler workshop, and indeed,
2728-669: The life of St. Wenceslaus, by the Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece between 1506 and 1509. Above the altar, is a Gothic statue of St. Wenceslaus created by Jindřich Parler (Peter's nephew) in 1373. The chapel is not open to the public, but it can be viewed from the doorways. A small door with seven locks, in the southwest corner of the chapel, leads to the Crown Chamber containing the Czech crown jewels , which are displayed to
2790-538: The main Bohemian patrons since 1038 when relics of Saint Adalbert were placed here. The skull of Saint Adalbert is kept at the Hilbert Treasury In 1954, a government decree entrusted the whole Prague Castle into ownership of "all Czechoslovak people" and into administration of the President's Office. Beginning in 1992, after the Velvet Revolution the church filed several petitions requesting
2852-399: The obviously different Baroque spire of the south tower by Nikolaus Pacassi (1753 until 1775) and the great organ in the northern wing of transept. In 1844, Václav Pešina , an energetic St. Vitus canon , together with Neo-Gothic architect Josef Kranner presented a program for renovation and completion of the great cathedral at the gathering of German architects in Prague. The same year
2914-404: The order of the battle, he said to them about him: 'Where is the lord Charles my son?' His men said: 'Sir, we cannot tell; we think he be fighting.' Then he said: 'Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.' They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in
2976-426: The original window tracery (no two of his windows are the same, the ornamentation is always different) and the blind tracery panels of the buttresses. Architectural sculpture was given a considerable role while Parler was in charge of construction, as can be seen in the corbels, the passageway lintels, and, particularly, in the busts on the triforium , which depict faces of the royal family, saints, Prague bishops, and
3038-452: The politics of Germany . In 1310, his father arranged the marriage of 14-year-old John to Elizabeth of Bohemia . The wedding took place in Speyer, after which the newlyweds made their way to Prague accompanied by a group led by the experienced diplomat and expert on Czech issues, Peter of Aspelt , Archbishop of Mainz. Because the emperor had imperial Czech regiments accompany and protect
3100-476: The present-day Gothic cathedral began on 21 November 1344, when the seat of Prague was elevated to an archbishopric. King John of Bohemia laid the foundation stone for the new building. The patrons were the chapter of cathedral (led by a dean), the Archbishop Arnost of Pardubice , and, above all, Charles IV , King of Bohemia and a soon-to-be Holy Roman Emperor , who intended the new cathedral to be
3162-399: The press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies. The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in good order to the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party, he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father
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#17327648559613224-404: The public only once every (circa) eight years. Through most of the following centuries, the cathedral stood only half-finished. It was built to the great tower and a transept, which was closed by a provisional wall. In the place of a three-aisled nave-to-be-built, a timber-roofed construction stood, and services were held separately there from the interior of the choir. Several attempts to continue
3286-476: The sacristy on the north side of the choir and the chapel on the south. Once he finished all that Matthias left unfinished, he continued according to his own ideas. Parler's bold and innovative design brought in a unique new synthesis of Gothic elements in architecture. This is best exemplified in the vaults he designed for the choir. The so-called Parler's vaults or net-vaults have double (not single, as in classic High Gothic groin vaults ) diagonal ribs that span
3348-571: The two master builders, including Parler himself. Work on the cathedral, however, proceeded slowly, because the Emperor commissioned Parler with many other projects, such as the construction of the new Charles Bridge in Prague and many churches throughout the Czech realm. By 1397, when Peter Parler died, only the choir and parts of the transept were finished. After Peter Parler's death in 1399 his sons, Wenzel Parler and particularly Johannes Parler , continued his work; they in turn were succeeded by
3410-463: The width of the choir-bay. The crossing pairs of ribs create a net-like construction (hence the name), which considerably strengthens the vault. They also give a lively ornamentation to the ceiling, as the interlocking vaulted bays create a dynamic zigzag pattern the length of the cathedral. While Matthias of Arras was schooled as a geometer, thus putting an emphasis on rigid systems of proportions and clear, mathematical compositions in his design, Parler
3472-484: The work on the cathedral were mostly unsuccessful. In the latter half of the 15th century, king Vladislaus II commissioned the great Renaissance-Gothic architect Benedict Ried to continue the work on the cathedral, but almost as soon as the work began, it was cut short because of lack of funds. Later attempts to finish the cathedral only brought some Renaissance and Baroque elements into the Gothic building, most notably
3534-648: Was able to pressure the Habsburgs into reaching an agreement over Moravia . He was also able to pressure the House of Wettin , princes of Saxony , to give over the territory lying to the northern border of the Czech state. John also decided to improve relations with the Silesian principalities close to Bohemia and Moravia in economic and political standings. The international spectrum was further broadened for John when his father named him Imperial Vicar , his deputy for
3596-580: Was an independent borough until 1784, when the four independent boroughs that had formerly constituted Prague were proclaimed a single city. The other three were Malá Strana (German: Kleinseite , Lesser Quarter), Staré Město (German: Altstadt , Old Town) and Nové Město (German: Neustadt , New Town). This Prague location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . St Vitus Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus , Wenceslaus and Adalbert ( Czech : metropolitní katedrála svatého Víta, Václava
3658-502: Was disliked by much of the Czech nobility. John was considered an "alien king" and gave up the administration of Bohemia after a while and embarked on a life of travel. He parted ways with his wife and left the Czech country to be ruled by the barons while spending time in Luxembourg and the French court. John's travels took him to Silesia , Poland , Lithuania , Tyrol , Northern Italy and Papal Avignon . A rival of King Władysław I
3720-465: Was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other. According to the Cronica ecclesiae Pragensis Benesii Krabice de Weitmile , when told by his aides that
3782-595: Was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland . He is well known for having died while fighting in the Battle of Crécy at age 50, after having been blind for a decade. In his home country of Luxembourg , he is considered a national hero . Comparatively, in the Czech Republic (anciently the Kingdom of Bohemia ), Jan Lucemburský is often recognized for his role as
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#17327648559613844-410: Was trained as a sculptor and woodcarver. He treated architecture as a sculpture, almost as if playing with structural forms in stone. Aside from his bold vaults, the peculiarities of his work can also be seen in the design of pillars (with classic, bell-shaped columns which were almost forgotten by High Gothic ), the ingenious dome vault of new St. Wenceslaus chapel, the undulating clerestory walls,
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