<p>It will be 90 years since the consecration of the cathedral at Prague Castle.</p>

Prague - The Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslaus, and Adalbert, as it has been officially named since 1997, is more than a religious site and the cathedral of the Archbishop of Prague. Even during its completion in the second half of the 19th century, it seemed to mark the culmination of Czech national emancipation, and its opening in 1929 was directly linked to Czech and Czechoslovak statehood. It became its symbol. On May 12, 90 years will have passed since the consecration of the cathedral at Prague Castle, and it was officially opened to the public on September 28, 1929:

- The cathedral is the resting place of the relics of the patron saints of the land, monarchs, nobles, and archbishops.

- The three-nave neo-Gothic cathedral with three towers was built in several stages from 1344 to 1929.

- Dimensions of the monument: length 124 meters, width 60 meters, the main tower measures 96.6 meters, the front towers measure 82 meters, and the vault is 33 meters high.

- The southern tower of the cathedral, at a height of 96.6 meters, is the third tallest church tower in the Czech Republic after the towers of St. Bartholomew's Cathedral in Pilsen (102 meters) and St. Wenceslaus Cathedral in Olomouc (100.6 meters).

- The largest Czech bell, Zikmund, is located in the cathedral, weighing 13.5 tons and having a diameter of 2.56 meters. On the order of Emperor Ferdinand I, it was cast in 1549 by Tomáš Jaroš from Brno as a replacement for an older bell of the same name from 1477.

- The cathedral is the third church of the same dedication on the same site. Around the year 925, Prince Wenceslaus I founded a Romanesque rotunda here, where his relics were later laid to rest. The rotunda was rebuilt into a three-nave basilica with two towers after 1060.

- The foundation stone of the cathedral was laid on November 21, 1344, in the presence of King John of Luxembourg and also his son Charles, the future King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. In the same year, Charles IV issued a bull, determining that the owner of the temple would be the Church of St. Vitus, granting it legal personality. Later, the rights and obligations of the owner were exercised by the metropolitan chapter.

- In 1997, the then Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, renewed the dedication of the main church of the Castle to the cathedral church of St. Vitus, Wenceslaus, and Adalbert. The martyrs Vitus, Wenceslaus, and Adalbert were already dedicated in the original Romanesque basilica from 1074.

- Charles IV significantly contributed to the development of the cathedral by bringing the architect Matyáš of Arras from France. After his death in 1352, Peter Parléř continued the work, demonstrating himself as a bold reformer of the Gothic style. His thinking surpassed his time in many ways by using elements typical of late Gothic architecture (suspended keystone, net and star vaulting, a large number of external buttresses and pillars, and more). During his lifetime (he died in 1399), the chancel with a wreath of rectangular chapels, the northern sacristy, the southern vestibule, St. Wenceslaus chapel, and partially the southern tower were completed.

- In 1419, the construction was interrupted for more than 400 years, in June 1421 it was plundered by the Hussites, and in 1541 the church burned down to its foundations. In 1757, during the Prussian siege of Prague, Frederick the Great ordered the cathedral to be shelled with cannons.

- It was not until 1844 that, at the initiative of patriot and awakener Václav Michal Pešina z Čechorodu, the Union for the Completion of St. Vitus Cathedral was established. The completion was entrusted to architect Josef Mocker, who gave it its current neo-Gothic appearance with two towers in the facade.

- In the first phase of completion from 1861 to 1873, the original Gothic church was thoroughly restored, and in 1873, the foundation stone for its new section was laid. The western part of the nave and the facade with two towers over eighty meters high were added between 1873 and 1929. After Mocker’s death in 1899, Kamil Hilbert took over leadership.

- In 1925, the original Gothic part of the cathedral was connected with the neo-Gothic part into a single organic whole, the interior of the temple was furnished with Baroque and Renaissance furnishings, complemented by modern artistic works with a sensitive regard to the Gothic style.

- The ceremonial opening of the not entirely finished temple took place on September 28, 1929, on the occasion of the St. Wenceslaus Millennium.

- The main completion was finished in September 1938, and the finishing work in the interior was interrupted by the German occupation. After the war, the reconstruction continued. In 1954, the Union for the Completion of St. Vitus Cathedral was dissolved, and the administration of the cathedral was transferred by government decree to the presidential office.

- In May 2010, after 18 years of disputes over the ownership of the cathedral, Archbishop Dominik Duka and President Václav Klaus signed a declaration to adjust relations regarding the care of the cathedral.

- During its existence, the cathedral served not only for religious ceremonies but also became a significant political center of the Czech state. It was the site of the coronation of Czech kings, and in its crypt are laid the remains of significant Czech monarchs, nobles, and church dignitaries.

- The first Czech monarch to be crowned in the cathedral was Charles IV in 1347, who is also buried here. The first mass was already held here in 1369. The most valuable part of the cathedral is St. Wenceslaus chapel on the site of the original rotunda.

- In December 2011, a state funeral for former president Václav Havel was held in the cathedral, the first since 1875, when there was an official farewell to the Austrian Emperor and the last crowned King of Bohemia, Ferdinand I the Good.

- The martyr and saint Vitus was venerated throughout Christian Europe from ancient times. In his honor, many temples have been dedicated worldwide, but the most famous is the sanctuary at Prague Castle. Vitus was condemned to death as a young Christian when he refused to betray his faith in Christ. According to legend, he was plunged into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and molten lead but emerged unscathed. He died only after further torment in Southern Italy in 305.