St. Vitus Cathedral ( Chrám svatého Víta Svatého Katedrála Víta or , in Czech) is a temple dedicated to Catholic worship located in the city of Prague ( Czech Republic ) . Forms part of the monumental artistic Prague Castle is the largest exhibition of Gothic art in the city. Since 1989 dedicated to St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert. It was the scene of the coronation of the kings of Bohemia and buried it are also all the holy bishops and archbishops and a number of kings . The cathedral, although Catholic , is state-owned since the beginning of its construction in the fourteenth century . St. Vitus Cathedral is the symbol of Prague and the Czech Republic , both for its stormy history and its artistic value. It was the culmination of the claims of the Kings of Bohemia who wanted to convert the diocese of Prague archbishopric. The first stone was laid on November 21, 1344 by the Archbishop of Prague , Pardubice Ernesto , in the presence of King John of Luxembourg and his sons , Charles ( the future Charles IV of Bohemia ) and John. It was erected on the same site where formerly stood a round Romanesque basilica dedicated also to San Vito, which still remains. The project was designed by French architect Matias Arras , which was inspired by the early French Gothic art , modeled on the cathedrals of Toulouse and Narbonne. In fact , St. Vitus Cathedral is one of the last major signs of this artistic . Peter Parler happened , in 1356 , the architect Mathias Arras after the death of the latter, although it took a few years without being directed by any developer. Later construction would be led by the sons of Peter Patler , Jan and Vaclay . These new cathedral architects printed to a style inspired by the German Gothic but giving also his personal imprint , manifested in the choir , the Chapel of St. Sigismund and sacristy were completed by them. From this period include the complex vaults , only comparable to those of the English cathedrals .