The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul stands on the hill called Petrov in Brno, at the address Petrov 9. The nearest public transport stop is Šilingrovo náměstí.[1]
History
The sacred use of the site goes back to the 11th and 12th centuries, when a Romanesque chapel stood here.[1][2] According to data from the Diocese of Brno, Margrave Conrad II Otto built a chapel here at the end of the 12th century and dedicated it to Saint Peter.[2] The tourist information centre Go To Brno states that at the end of the 12th century a small church with an apse and a crypt was built on the site.[1] In the 13th century, at its end according to the diocese, it was rebuilt into a Romanesque basilica.[1][2] Remains of this basilica were discovered by archaeological research of the cathedral at the beginning of the 21st century and are now open to the public.[1]
In 1296 Petrov became the seat of a collegiate chapter.[2] At this time the church was rebuilt into an Early Gothic form and became a provost church with a collegiate chapter.[1] In 1368 the patronage of the church was doubled, and it was newly dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul.[2] In the second half of 1451 the Franciscan friar John of Capistrano preached in Brno, and his activity is recalled today by the pulpit called Kapistránka on the left side of the church.[1]
In the second quarter of the 15th century a major reconstruction of the church took place after the Hussite Wars.[2] In the 17th century gradual Early Baroque alterations followed, repairing the damage caused by the siege of Brno by Swedish troops in 1643 and 1645.[2] The author of the 18th-century Baroque interior is the architect Mořic Grimm.[1]
In 1777 Pope Pius VI established the Diocese of Brno, and the church of Saints Peter and Paul was raised to a cathedral. The Petrov complex underwent major building works until the end of the 19th century, especially in 1879 to 1891.[2] In 1891 a neo-Gothic altar by the Viennese woodcarver Josef Leimer was installed, whose form corresponds to today's main altar from the end of the 19th century.[1][2] In 1904 to 1908, according to the winning design by the architect August Kirstein, new towers were built, which gave the cathedral its neo-Gothic appearance.[2]
Appearance and points of interest
Go To Brno describes the cathedral as an unmissable landmark rising on the Petrov hill and one of the most important sacred places of Moravia.[1] The cathedral is depicted on the ten-crown coin.[1] On the cathedral's towers, noon is rung already at 11 o'clock. This custom recalls a legend about a ruse by General Raduit de Souches during the siege of Brno by Swedish troops: according to the legend, General Torstenson declared that if he did not take the city before the bells began to ring noon, he would end the siege, and de Souches therefore had noon rung an hour earlier.[1]
On the façade of the cathedral there is a Latin quotation from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 11:28–30), in the Czech translation: "Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you..."[2]
Practical information
According to data on the Go To Brno website, the cathedral is open daily from 8:00 to 18:30, on Fridays from 10:30. Access to the towers in the winter season (October–April) is from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 16:45 and on Sunday from 12:00 to 16:45, and in the summer season (May–September) from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:15 and on Sunday from 12:00 to 18:15. Admission to the towers and to the cathedral treasury costs, according to the same source, 60 CZK for adults, 40 CZK for students, children over 15 and seniors, and 130 CZK as a family ticket.[1]
The contact address according to the Go To Brno website is Petrov 9, 602 00 Brno, telephone +420 543 235 031, e-mail .[1]