Basilica of St. George
* *the second oldest sacred building in Prague
Significant photo
Photogallery
Description
The early Romanesque Basilica of St. George was founded ca. 920 by Prince Vratislav I and was the second Christian cathedral on the territory of what was then Prague. In 925, the remains of the murdered Princess Ludmila, the first Czech martyr, were laid to rest here.
In 973, the basilica was enlarged with a near-by convent, while the cathedral itself was expanded and rebuilt into a basilica in the early Romanesque style.
The basilica
caught fire in 1142 and was restored, this time with two exceptional white towers built from argillite which dominate the basilica today. The basilica hosts the burial place of the well-known Přemysl family, including the princely lords Vratislav, Oldřich and Jaromír. Members of the Přemysl family were buried here until 1055 when the famous church and later convent of St. Vitus were established not far from the basilica.
