Prager Dom von Matthias von Arras und Peter Parler – Boněk Jan (2010)

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, contributed to the expansion of numerous monumental buildings, with his main focus on St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. This cathedral was to become a masterpiece of Gothic architecture – a stone embodiment of faith, a symbol of His Royal Majesty, the seat of the Archbishop, a cultural center for the country's patrons, a venue for solemn coronation ceremonies, and a royal as well as national burial site. No other church in Europe combined so many functions. The project of the cathedral's first master builder, Matthias of Arras, was already considered a wonder of construction in his time. The task assigned to him – to apply the style of southern French cathedrals to Prague – he subtly adapted to his own ideas and the local traditions. Peter Parler, his successor, approached the work ahead of him in a rather idiosyncratic, yet brilliant and architecturally risky manner, which brought him into conflict with the architectural rules of the time. It is no wonder, then, that even in the 21st century, this cathedral in the heart of our metropolis,…