006-054 THE PRAGUE CASTLE II - THE CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS 

Already for a thousand years the Prague Castle has been dominating the left bank of the river Vltava, towering monumentally above the city of Prague - the seat of Kings and Presidents, the symbol of our emancipation. Archaeology and art history have disclosed secular and church buildings erected during the reigns of Břetislav 1st (1034-1055), Spytihněv 2nd (1055-1061) and Soběslav 1st (1125-1140), the works of mediaeval artists as well as simple people. Above the pre-Romanesque buildings a Gothic Royal Palace was built during the reigns of the last rulers of the Přemysl Dynasty and the Kings of the Luxemburg Dynasty, as well as a magnificent, unfinished cathedral and various noblemen's palaces. During the reign of the Kings of the Jagellon Dynasty and the first Habsburgs, the Renaissance style penetrated into the architecture of the Prague Castle. Developments were cruelly impaired by the great fire at the castle in the year 1541, but building activities were resumed during the reigns of Ferdinand 1st, Maxmilian 2nd, Rudolph 2nd, as well as Matthias and all the Kings after him right up to Maria Theresia, during whose reign the architectural history of the castle was united into the continuous coulisse built round the castle courtyards. The last buildings of the 19th century were the St. Vitus Cathedral which was finished at this time in the neo-Gothic style, and the houses on George Square. The 20th century brought new architectural reconstructions to the Prague Castle. After the year 1948 the castle became the symbol of the rule of the Czechoslowak people and lately it has received the greatest possible care in the form of extensive restorations of the earlier buildings and the works of art and cultural monuments. The Prague Castle has become our most valuable National Cultural Monument. 

Text to the photographs (Photographs by Petr Delev): 

1. The Chapel of the Holy Cross on the 2nd Castle courtyard was built in 1753 by Anselmo Lurago. its present-day likeness is the result of renovations made during the years 1852-1858. In the niches between the windows stand statues of St. Peter and St. Paul by Emmanuel Max dating from the year 1854. 

2. The interior of the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It is a singlenave chapel with a passage and oratorium on the eastern side. The paintings decorating the chapel are by Vilém Kandler and Josef Navrátil, the altar painting of the Crucifixion is the work of F. K. Balek, the statues alongside the altar are by Ignác Platzer. Since the year 1961 church treasures are exhibited in the chapel. 

3. and 4. The ceiling and wall frescoes which were painted by Vilém Kandler and Josef Navrátil round about the year 1858, represent scenes from the Old and the New Testaments. 

5. and 6. The St. Vitus Treasure, one of the most valuable church treasures from the artistic point of view, was founded by Charles IV and includes valuable reliquaries from the 12th till the 18th centuries, monstrances, goblets and other objects used for church services. 

7. The Coronation Cross. A very valuable example of Prague goldsmith's work dating from about the year 1357; the the lower, Renaissance part of the Cross comes from the early 16th century. The cross is covered with a thick layer of gold and ornamented with crystal, saphires, pearls and early mediaeval cameos.