Church St. Barbara/ Chrám sv. Barbory

Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

The Cathedral of St. Barbora is an excellent example of Gothic architecture in Bohemia. The battle of the Kutná Hora mine owners with the nearby Sedlec monastery (seat of the Cistercian order) for their own religious autonomy lasted for centuries. The fight culminated in 1388 with the founding of a prestigious cathedral outside the range of the authority of the monastery.

The cathedral was constructed to a considerable degree under the patronage of the miners and was thus consecrated in the name of their patron saint, the Virgin Saint Barbora.The structure was intended to equal the Prague Cathedral of St. Vitus in its magnificence — historical sources state that it was originally intended to be twice the present length. The construction of the cathedral progressed in several stages and depended greatly on the prosperity of the local mines. The work was interrupted several times under the influence of various events, and more than 500 years passed between commencement and completion of the work in 1905.

Address

Church St. Barbara/ Chrám sv. Barbory, Jakubská ulice, 28401 Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, Google Maps