Exterior view

During the reign of Charles IV (king of Bohemia from 1346, emperor 1355--78) Prague was effectively a fixed capital of the German Empire. The foundation stone for the St. Vitus's Cathedral was laid in 1344. The first architect was Mathieu d'Arras (1290-1352) who designed the ground plan for the choir and built part of the ambulatory and the radiating chapels. After his death the young Peter Parler (1330-1399) introduced truly modern architecture into the construction.

The photo shows the east end of the cathedral. The lower sections (1344-52) are by Mathieu d'Arras, the clerestory and buttressing by Peter Parler.

View the ground plan of St. Vitus's Cathedral, Prague.