The construction of the Church of St Vitus began
in 1340 under the guidance of the German
master-builder, Linhart of Aldenberk, but was not
completed until after the Hussite wars. (The
Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars,
involved the military actions against and amongst
the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period
1420 to 1434. The wars were arguably the first in
which hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand
cannons made a decisive contribution.)
In 1439, the church was consecrated by Bishop
Nicholas of Passau.There were no more significant
alterations to the church structure except in the
19th century when the onion-shaped Baroque tower
was replaced by an eight sided pseudo-gothic
tower (1893-1894).
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The font (above), ornate pulpit (left) and
sidechapel altar (below)
Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died
as a martyr during the persecution of Christians
by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and
Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the
Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Roman Catholic
Church. Saint Vitus' Day is celebrated on 15
June.
In the late Middle Ages, people in Germany and
countries such as Latvia celebrated the feast of
Vitus by dancing before his statue. This dancing
became popular and the name "Saint Vitus Dance"
was given to the neurological disorder
chorea.
Vitus is considered the patron saint of actors,
comedians, dancers, and epileptics. He is also
said to protect against lightning strikes, animal
attacks and oversleeping, and is the patron saint
of Bohemia.
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The main organ (left) is a huge three-keyboard
organ constructed by Heinrich Schiffner with a pneumatic
action and 47 stops constructed early in the
twentieth century.
 Influences
of Upper Austria and Passau organ workshops have
always been mixed with local ones. The
outstanding organ placed on the gallery above the
entrance into the St Vitus church as a choir
instrument (right and below) shows the evidence
of such influences.
An unknown organist coming supposedly from
Egedacher´s organ workshop in Passau
finished it in 1716. It used to stand in St. Jost
Church in Ceský Krumlov which is now
closed these days.Thanks to the enlightened
decision of the town councillors at the time of
Emperor Joseph's reforms it was transferred to
its present place. The housing surface is
decorated in accordance with Baroque tradition
with several shades of marble.
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We move to the street beside St Vitus Church
(above) and along to the buildings at the
rear......
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"The Krumlov prelatory building is one of the
most significant and also among the most
complicated constructions and oldest buildings in
all of Krumlov. The building originated in the
Gothic period, in the second half of the 14th
century. Late Gothic and early Renaissance
renovations were made in 1576 by Balthassar
Maggi.
"A prelatory brewery was built in the left wing
in 1596 and was in operation until 1865. Many of
the numerous fires that took place in this
building were caused by the brewery. When Baroque
renovations were made after the fire of 1624, the
first floor of the street side wing was built and
connected to the main building.
"After another fire, restoration projects took
place in 1652 and 1768. The alterations that were
made to the prelatory include Rococo remodelling
of the stairwell and the elaborate painted
decorative work in the celebration hall, which
was executed by Frantisek Jakub Prokys. Further
renovations were made in 1865.
"From 1897-1902, when various repairs were made
to the building, the gables were returned to
their historic Renaissance appearance and the
sgrafitto on the front facade was restored.
During a renovation project in 1904, remnants of
Gothic windows were found in the southern wing.
In 1924 further alterations were made and the
building received its present-day appearance
during a remodelling project in the second half
of the 20th century."
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"The former Jesuit college situated next to the
prelatory building is a four-wing Renaissance
building dating from 1586-1588 which was built on
the plot of land where six Gothic structures once
stood. The Jesuit building was built by the
highly regarded Rosenberg builder, Baldassar
Maggi of Arogna according to plans drawn out by
P.Alexander, a rector from the Jesuit college in
Prague.
"The building has four wings that surround a
central, rectangular courtyard. The main facade,
which faces Horni Street, is decorated with
Renaissance sgrafitto. Murals of various Czech
saints (St Ludmila, St Vojtech, St Prokop, St
Vit, and St Alzbeta) are painted in a band that
runs just below the eaves. This decorative work
was restored in the 1980s and 1990s. The
entranceway into the courtyard is marked by a
semi-circular arched portal of roughly-hewn
granite.
"The facade of the building inside the courtyard
are also decorated with sgrafitto, painted murals
in the course just below the eaves, emblems of
the founder of the Jesuits college, Wilhelm von
Rosenberg and his fourth wife, Polyxena Rosenberg
von Pernstejn, and the symbol of the Jesuit order
"IHS" dating from the year 1587."
The building is
now an hotel.
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