Historical St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague
  Prague cathedral like Gothic cathedrals in Kiev and Lviv. But unlike them, this church is much grander and older. It is incredibly huge, and is located immediately outside the gate - go away, so it is normal to photograph just nowhere.

On the western side rise two 82-foot neo-Gothic stone towers with a 10-foot round window in the form of rosettes between them. For comparison, the height of the towers of Cologne Cathedral - 157 meters - nearly twice as high! Nevertheless, in grandeur, Prague, Cologne Cathedral to his colleague does not give up!

The project was conceived with such a large scale that the construction lasted for 600 years. During this time, took part in the construction of French, German, Czech architects and managed to reflect the following architectural styles: Renaissance and Baroque periods. Construction was completed only in 1929.

The first architect who built the cathedral, was a Frenchman Matthias of Arras, called from the papal palace in Avignon. Matthias has made a general plan of construction in the French Gothic style. However, he lived only until the completion of the arcades and galleries.

 After Matthias died in 1352, construction continued Peter Parler, a young 23-year-old architect from the German town Shvebigi Glyund. No, I'm not mistaken, this was not the architect of the elderly and the young man!

Working on the council, Peter also worked on the Charles Bridge and numerous churches, and when he died in 1397, were completed only the choir and part of the transept.

Spectacular panoramic view inside the Gothic Cathedral: Gothic Revival architectural style in the central nave, with ribbed vaults grid height 33.5 meters, almost imperceptibly in the choir in the medieval part, suffused with a warm light stained glass lancet windows. Around the choir and the altar has an oval aisle with a crown of chapels. The three-space of the temple with 28 majestic columns conventionally divided vertically into two spheres, the earthly and heavenly, triforium (gallery-balcony), passing around the perimeter. It contains the busts of the founders and the first builders of the cathedral: the Czech kings and queens, Archbishop of Prague and architects.

 Stained glass windows, created by leading Czech artists:

 Now go outside and look at the cathedral on the right:

 Cathedral of St. Vitus Cathedral has had an enormous influence on the development of late Gothic style, typical of Central Europe. Members of the Parler workshop, and immediately the family Parler (formed at the construction site of the cathedral of St. Vitus), designed numerous churches and buildings throughout Central Europe. The most famous are St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Strasbourg Cathedral, St. Mark's Church in Zagreb and the Church of St. Barbara in Kutna Hora, also in the Czech Republic. Local Gothic Slovenia, northern Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and southern Germany have experienced a clear impact of the project Parler.

 The length of the main nave of the cathedral - 124 meters, the height of the Great Southern Tower - 96,5 meters.

Grand cathedral of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague

 In most towers are placed as renaissance hours related to the end of the XVI century, but it's not just a clock (in the Prague all hours - not just watch:)), two of them - the top show the hours, Lower - minute ...

 Above the portal of the southern facade is a mosaic "Last Judgement " (1371-1372 gg.) - the earliest surviving Czech mosaic. Background it is made of gilded glass cubes, figure - of colorful pebbles. All stones were specially carved in Venice.

On the left side of the cathedral - a beautiful street:

And finally, look at the cathedral from behind!