Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is a late Gothic brick basilica, with two towers, is located in the southwestern corner of Velké Square in Hradec Králové.

History

10th to 13th Century: The city’s historical center began as a Slavonic settlement in the 10th century, transforming into a medieval town by 1225. The first parish church was St. Clement's, replaced by the Holy Spirit Cathedral built by the Teutonic Knights between 1238 and 1250. This church was destroyed by a fire in 1339.

14th Century: The new church construction began in phases after the 1339 fire. Queen Elizabeth Richeza of Poland, who chose Hradec Králové as her residence, significantly influenced its development. Initial construction from 1339-1342 included the presbytery and two towers. A second phase under Queen Elizabeth of Pomerania, wife of King Charles IV, aimed to complete the church, but another fire in 1407 caused further delays. Despite Hussite Wars interruptions, the church was completed in 1463, featuring a triple nave.

15th to 20th Century: A fire in 1484 necessitated more repairs, including new towers and bells. The church was looted and partly burnt by Swedish soldiers in 1639. It became a cathedral in 1664 and underwent several renovations, including a major Neo-Gothic restoration from 1864-1876.

Interior and Exterior

The interior was enriched by donations from queens, with influences from Prague masters. The whitewashed walls, ribbed vaults, and circular keystones are notable features. The exterior showcases a striking red brick and white sandstone contrast, a rare Gothic architectural style in the Czech Republic. The cathedral also contains important historical elements like Renaissance tombstones and a late Gothic Marian triptych.

Significance

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the only medieval Gothic church remaining in the city and suburbs, as others were demolished for military fort construction in the 18th century.

References:

Wikipedia

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Jan Stránský (2 months ago)
Beautiful cathedral. Unfortunately, surrounded by cars. A parking lot might not be such a beautiful place.

Starh Lady (5 months ago)
Beautiful church. Unfortunately it was closed but managed a few pics

Anna ŠMÍDOVÁ (5 months ago)
The beautiful Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Velký náměstí in Hradec Králové dates from the beginning of the 14th century, when Hradec Králové was the second most important Czech city after Prague in terms of importance, area and number of inhabitants, and evidence of wealth. At that time, the great court of Queen Eliška Rejčka was located here.

Roman Krychovskyi Кричовський (12 months ago)
Beautiful

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

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