150th Anniversary of the Consecration and Laying of the Foundation Stone for the Completion of the Cathedral

On 30 August 1873, the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the establishment of the Prague diocese began. On that day, the Archbishop of Prague, Friedrich Cardinal Schwarzenberg, consecrated the new high altar and symbolically rededicated St. Vitus Cathedral to the service. Not long after this first one, a second celebration of great significance took place. For on 1 October 1873, the foundation stone for the completion of St. Vitus Cathedral was laid and consecrated, which ceremony was also performed by the most worthy Cardinal Archbishop of Prague himself.

The foundation stone was laid in the pillar of the transept on the southeast side.
The symbolic laying of the foundation stone was an important milestone in the building history. Although the repairs to the medieval part were far from complete, the neo-Gothic part gradually began to grow west of the choir and the Great Tower. The new three-nave with perimeter chapels and the west two-tower facade completed the cathedral in the form we know today. 

50 Years of Systematic Care for St. Vitus Cathedral

In 1973, after the years of neglected care, begun restauration works on the cathedral since then this work has continued uninterrupted to this day, which means that every year some part of the cathedral is under scaffolding. This circumstance is extremely important because the care of the building must be systematic, not haphazard. Timely conservation interventions make it possible to preserve as much of the original masonry, architectural and sculptural details and other decoration as possible.

In the entire fifty-year history of the care for the cathedral, the replacement of a damaged figural gargoyle on the corner of the south-western neo-Gothic tower was an exceptional event. In 2021, the stone railing on the corner was dismantled, a plaster cast was made as a model for the sculptor and the damaged gargoyle was carefully taken down. The new gargoyle was put in place and all the dismantled parts of the railing were returned; the original gargoyle can be seen now during the exhibition in front of the Cathedral.