St Vitus Cathedral
Photo Credit: MathKnight, GNU Free Documentation License
St Vitus Cathedral
Prague, Czech Republic
St Vitus Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Its full name is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral. Located within Prague Castle, St Vitus is the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic. A church building, also called St Vitus, had stood on the present site since 925 AD. It was founded by Wenceslaus I, the Duke of Bohemia. St Vitus was chosen as the patron saint because Wenceslaus had acquired a holy relic - the arm of St Vitus - from Emperor Henry I. At that time, part of the community of Prague was still pagan, and Wenceslaus chose St Vitus as an effort to convert the pagans because its name is similar in pronunciation to that of the Slavic solar deity, Svantevit.
The present gothic St Vitus Cathedral was constructed in 1344 when the Prague bishopric was elevated to the status of archbishopric. The layout was designed by a Frenchman, Matthias of Arras. After Matthias died in 1352, the responsibility was shifted to 23-year-old new master builder Peter Parler. After he completed what Matthias left unfinished, Parler added his own ideas, introducing a unique new synthesis of Gothic elements into the architecture.
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