The UNESCO-listed Church of St. Barbara (also called St. Barbara’s Cathedral) is a monumental Gothic church consecrated to St. Barbara, patron saint of miners. Its unique design with a three-tent roof and intricate flying buttresses make it an unmistakable Kutná Hora landmark and the town’s most significant monument.
The construction took over 500 years, beginning in 1388 and ending in 1905 with a Neo-Gothic restoration. Building was interrupted several times, either due to the Hussite wars or for lack of financial resources. Several prominent architects took part in the project over the centuries: Jan Parléř (son of Petr Parléř, architect of Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral), Matyáš Rejsek (designer of Prague’s Powder Tower), Benedikt Rejt (author of the Wladislaw Hall at the Prague Castle), and Josef Mocker (restorer of many Czech castles including Karlštejn). St. Barbara’s Church was originally planned to be twice its today’s size.
The church was consecrated in 1403 and was used for prayers throughout its construction despite being unfinished, even before the roof was put up. As a sort of “miners’ church”, it was perceived as an important symbol of protection of the town’s miners, and of the town itself. Just like the church exterior, its interior is stunning and quite complex. Lots of the interior imagery depict scenes from Kutná Hora’s mining life.