Greatest Gothic, #25: St Barbara’s Church, Kutná Hora
A Bohemian Rhapsody in Stone
(7 min read) St Barbara’s Church — number 25 in my countdown of the Fifty Greatest Works of Gothic — showcases several innovations in plan, section, and vaulting.
(For more about this series, see the introduction and the countdown.)
Common Name: St Barbara’s Church
Official Name: Chrám svaté Barbory (St Barbara’s Church); sometimes referred to as Katedrála sv panny Barbory (Cathedral of St Barbara).
Location: Kutná Hora (Czech Republic)
Primary Dates of Gothic Construction: 1388-1905
Why It’s Great
St. Barbara’s in Kutna Hora represents an innovative interpretation of Gothic architecture whose five-century construction period reflects the region’s dramatic history. Its unique three-hall galleried nave, inventive vaulting systems, and extensive collection of original wall paintings make it a stunning showcase of Bohemian Gothic innovation.
Why It Matters: History and Context
The church’s origins lie in the late 14th century, when Kutna Hora — thanks to its silver mines — rivaled Prague in wealth and influence.
In 1388, seeking independence from the nearby Sedlec monastery and eager to express their prosperity, local miners and townspeople founded a grand new church dedicated to St Barbara, patron saint of miners. The chosen site, on a rocky promontory above the Vrchlice River and outside the city walls, symbolized this independence — the land belonged to the archbishop, not the Cistercians.
The initial work was done under Johann Parler, great grandson of Johannes von Gmund (whose work we saw at Freiburg Minster) and son of Peter Parler (whose work we will see later in this countdown at St Vitus Cathedral). These plans called for a five-aisled basilica with a radiating chevet, following French Gothic models. By 1403 the eastern choir was far enough along to be consecrated, even though the structure remained roofless.
This first phase was interrupted by the outbreak of the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century. The unfinished church was looted by radical Utraquists in 1420, and construction ground to a halt amid political instability and declining silver yields. For decades, the half-built structure stood open to the elements. But St. Barbara’s remained in use, cherished even in partial form by the townspeople as a symbol of their identity.
Construction resumed in the late 15th century, fueled by a brief economic and political revival. Between 1482 and the 1540s, two master builders — Matej Rejsek and Benedikt Rejt — transformed the church into a masterpiece of Bohemian Late Gothic.
Rejsek completed the choir with richly decorative net vaulting and extended the external buttresses into a sculptural crown. Rejt then reimagined the nave, raising the side aisles to the height of the central nave and inserting mezzanine galleries to create a unique double-tiered interior. This “church above a church” concept, capped with stellar vaults and flooded with light from double-height windows, had no precedent in Western Europe and remains one of the church’s most distinctive features.
Despite these advances, St. Barbara’s was never completed as planned. The town’s economic base collapsed in the mid-16th century, and in 1558 the project was officially halted. The nave was truncated, and the unfinished west end was closed off with a temporary wall. Nevertheless, the church’s striking triple-tent roof was added in the late 16th century, giving it the iconic silhouette that defines it today.
The 17th century brought new challenges. In 1626, during the the Thirty Years’ War, the Jesuits were granted control of the church. They converted it into a Baroque Catholic space, whitewashing medieval frescoes, replacing altars, and removing Utraquist/Hussite symbols. Yet even under Jesuit control, the Gothic fabric of St. Barbara’s endured, and major structural changes were limited.
By the 19th century, the church was weathered but intact. In 1884, amid a wave of Czech national revival and Gothic restoration across Bohemia, architects Josef Mocker and Ludvik Labler undertook a major renovation and completion project.
Their aim was not invention, but historical continuity — to finish what the medieval builders had started. The project concluded in 1905, over five centuries after the foundation stone was laid.
Photo Tour
St Barbara’s is surrounded by a grassy park on all sides, allowing you to appreciate the extraordinary level of Flamboyant exterior details, including niched sculptures and crockets on the buttresses and pinnacles (figures 9-11).
Given the full-height side aisles and massive windows, the interior is bathed in light and has an open and spacious feel throughout.
Going to the mezzanine level provides an opportunity for great views of the nave and chancel (figures 2, 5 & 16-17), as well access to the west balcony (figure 3) and a set of displays about the history of construction (see “In Detail” below).
The chancel pre-dates the nave and is less obviously daring, but still an impressive space with exceptional vaulting and window details.
There are plenty of medieval wall and ceiling paintings throughout the church, mostly from the late 15th and early 16th century I believe. Figures 22 & 24-27 show some overviews, and more painting details are shown in the “In Detail” section below.
Some Baroque elements from the Jesuit era remain, such as (I believe) a sculptural representation of Kutna Hora as a miner (figure 28) and the massive wooden angels at the gallery level (visible in figures 5 & 17). The stained glass here is from the final set of renovations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has a pronounced “art nouveau” influence, as well as a charming color palette.
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In Detail
Visiting Advice & Conclusion
My Visit Date: 19 October 2024
There’s an admission fee if I recall correctly, or perhaps just to access the gallery level (in which case it is worth paying). Kutna Hora is a cute medieval town worth an entire day trip, with the Sedluc abbey and ossuary as much a tourist attraction as St Barbara’s.
Today, St Barbara’s stands as a rare example of long-form architectural coherence. Its radical spatial concept, sculptural buttress system, and integration of civic, religious, and industrial imagery reflect the peculiar history of Kutna Hora: a city whose wealth built dreams that even decline could not undo. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, the church remains not only a triumph of Gothic architecture but also a chronicle in stone of Bohemia’s turbulent history.