Saint Barbara's Church () is a Roman
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in
Kutná Hora (Bohemia) in the style of a
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
, and is sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of St Barbara ().
[Kutna Hora Information]
Cathedral of S.t Barbara It is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and it is a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.
St Barbara is the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines.
It is located outside the Old Town district, behind the
Jesuit College. The area was formerly outside of the town.
History
Construction began in 1388,
[J. Chyský, M. Skalník, Vl. Adamec (1965) ''A Guide to Czechoslovakia'' (Artia, Prague) p129] but because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905. The first architect was probably
Johann Parler, son of
Peter Parler.
[ Work on the building was interrupted for more than 60 years during the ]Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
and when work resumed in 1481, Matěj Rejsek, Benedikt Rejt and Mikuláš Parler, assumed responsibility.[
The original design was for a much larger church, perhaps twice the size of the present building. Construction, however, depended on the prosperity of the town's silver mines, which became much less productive. So, in 1588, the three-peaked roof had been completed,][ and a provisional wall was constructed. A little later it was occupied by ]Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
who gradually changed the structure into Baroque style, though parts still remain in Gothic style.[
The final process of repair and completion took place at the end of the 19th century, under architects J. Mocker and L. Labler.][
Originally there were eight radial chapels with trapezoidal interiors. Later on, the choir was constructed, supported by double-arched flying buttresses.
Internal points of note are the glass windows, altars, pulpits and choir stalls. Medieval frescoes depicting the secular life of the medieval mining town and religious themes have been partially preserved.
]
Gallery
File:Kutna Hora CZ St Barbara Cathedral front view 02.JPG, Front view
File:Cathedral St Barbara - interior.jpg, Interior
File:Kutná Hora-Cathedral St Barbara-interior6.jpg, Ceiling Vault
File:Viribus Unitis - stained glass in Kutna Hora.jpg, Stained glass depicting emperor Franz Joseph I
See also
* List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe
References
External links
*
History and photos of St. Barbara's Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbara
Kutná Hora
World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic
Gothic architecture in the Czech Republic
Buildings and structures in Kutná Hora
Tourist attractions in the Central Bohemian Region
National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic