St. Nicholas Cathedral, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

The Cathedral of St Nicholas is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in České Budějovice. The foundation stone of the parish church was laid around 1265, shortly after the founding of the city. The church of St Nicholas was consecrated in 1297, although it was still incomplete at the time. The completion of the main building probably occurred sometime around the mid 14th century. The original Gothic church was damaged by fire and repaired in the years 1513 - 1518. The church was significantly rebuilt several times. During the 16th century the church acquired a new bell tower called the Black Tower. In the 17th century, reconstruction took place and the church acquired its current baroque appearance. The church has a triple nave layout with 18th century interiors. In 1785 the interior was renovated when the church was elevated to a cathedral due to the creation of the Diocese of České Budějovice.

A cemetery was located beside the church and was in use from the Middle Ages up to the year 1784, when the decree of Joseph II forbade further burials. Between 1969 and 1971 internal adjustments were made in the cathedral in order to improve the liturgical space after the changes made during the Second Vatican Council.

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User Reviews

Sarah Mak (3 years ago)
The inside is small and modern.

Akhil K (3 years ago)
Nice church with beautiful architecture . The church is near to the main square. The church and the black tower is an recommended destination in ceske budjovice.The establishment of St Nicholas Cathedral dates as far back as the 13th century, when it was founded as a parish church for the royal town of České Budějovice. It was rebuilt in the Late Gothic style in 1518-1535. A great fire consumed almost the entire building in 1641, and afterwards it was rebuilt again, this time in the Baroque style. Its Baroque renovation was entrusted to Italian architects J. Cipriani and F. Canevalle. The cathedral was completed in 1649, but another Italian architect G. A. de Maggi converted the church facade to its present-day form in 1686-1688. The cathedral also underwent more modifications and repairs in the following years. The inner triple nave is divided by three pairs of massive prismatic pillars. The rich stucco decoration was made by T. Zeisl. The main altar dating to 1791 by Z. Hueber is dominated by a large-scale painting of St Nicholas from 1648 by D. Bachmann.

Francisco Jones (3 years ago)
Interesting mix of classical and modern architecture. The church and the tower are well worth the visit.

Emre Tüngü (6 years ago)
Such a cosy feeling to be in ... so nice

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