In the center of the Prague Castle is St. Vitus Cathedral, the Czech national church. A church has stood on this spot since 930. The construction for this iteration began in 1344 and the front half was finally finished in 1929, which explains why some of the stained glass windows have a modern design.
The cathedral is huge, more than 400 feet long and 100 feet high. The 2 outside soaring towers are 270 feet tall. Makes it difficult to get a good photo of the whole cathedral.
St. Vitus as seen from the front.
A side entrance to the Cathedral.
This beautifully detailed Relief of Prague, which depicts the aftermath of the Battle of White Mountain, was carved in 1630.
Looking down the nave.
This silver tomb honors St. John of Nepomuk. Supposedly more than a ton of silver went into this elaborately detailed tomb.
And then there are the stained glass windows. Oh my! The bright colors are so vivid and vibrant. The windows in St. Vitus are unusual in that many of them were made after the cathedral was finished in the early 20th century, which also explains why some of them are more traditional while others are more modern looking. According to our tour guide, when the cathedral was finished they had no funds left to pay for stained glass windows, so the windows were paid for by local businesses thus explaining the white sponsor identification labels in the lower panes of the windows.
This Art Nouveau stained glass window was designed in 1931 by Czech artist Alfons Mucha. The window celebrates the birth of the Czech nation and the life of St. Wencelas, patron saint of the Czech nation. Looking at the 4 center panels, you can see Wenceslas as a child kneeling at the feet of his grandmother. Above Wenceslas are the two saints who first brought Christianity to the region and their story continues around the side panels.
Christmas Markets & More 
Beautiful nave and stained glass windows!
LikeLike