I've now visited this
cathedral three times. No doubt I will visit it again and will rejoice to
do so, because this building must be one of the great medieval
ecclesiastical buildings of Europe.
Many people visit Kutna
Hora as a daytrip from Prague. Some take one of the many minibus
tours that speed between Prague and Kutna Hora and the more canny
take the train and save themselves money. The best way to approach St
Barbara's is to walk up the hill from the train station and turn left
to go past the Vlassky Dvur and St Jakub church and so come on a
viewing platform, from which you will get the best view of the
cathedral with its extraordinary roof line (above). Then follow the
lane up to the Hradek and approach the cathedral along a walk lined
on one side by statues and beyond them vines and on the other by the
Jesuit Seminary now an important art gallery.
Inside the cathedral
lives up to the expectations raised by its spectacular exterior. The
vaulting is utterly unlike any you will have seen in the west, a pure
example of the style known as Bohemian gothic, with the ribs flowing
from the columns. Along the gallery huge wooden sculptures look down
on the nave. If you get a chance pay the small fee and go up to the
gallery to see the statues and ribbing up close.
That this is a
cathedral for the silver workers of medieval Kutna Hora is evident
throughout the building. Miners in their regulation white coats
appear as statues and in frescos, minters sit striking coins and
others are counting. In fact the cathedral's frescos merit repeated
inspection: I was still finding new elements on my third visit. The
frescos are remarkably realistic and human. But then the building is
human too, as large in footprint as a large church, which makes its
wonders all the more impactful.
