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Visitors can clearly see at exactly which point the Hussite civil wars put a stop to construction of this 96-m (315-ft) tower. By the time work resumed, architectural style had moved into the Renaissance, hence the incongruous rounded cap on a Gothic base.

This chapel stands where Prince Wenceslas built the first St Vitus rotunda and contains the tomb of its namesake, Bohemia’s patron saint. The frescoes of Christ’s Passion on the lower wall are surrounded by 1,300 semi-precious stones. Vladislav II commissioned the upper frescoes of St Wenceslas’s life, painted to celebrate his son Ludvik’s coronation.

You would think there would be safer places for the crown and sceptre of Bohemia, but the coronation chamber above Wenceslas Chapel is said to be guarded by the spirit of the saint.

The greatest kings of Bohemia are buried in a single room beneath the cathedral, including Charles IV, Wenceslas IV and Rudolf II.

The royal family crossed a narrow bridge from the Royal Palace (see Old Royal Palace) to this private gallery to hear mass. The coats of arms represent all the countries that were ruled by Vladislav II.

The silver for this 1,680-kg (3,700-lb) coffin came from the Bohemian mining town of Kutná Hora, symbolized by the statues of miners to the left of the tomb.

Alfons Mucha created the Art Nouveau window of the Slavic saints for the Archbishop’s Chapel. Despite appearances, the glass is painted, not stained.

The 16-tonne bell of the Great Tower, affectionately known as Sigismund, is the nation’s largest and dates from 1549. It takes four volunteers to ring the bell on important church holidays and events.

This triple-arched arcade was the main entrance to the cathedral until the western end was completed in the 20th century.

Bounded by St Vitus’s Chapel and the marble sarcophagi of Ferdinand I and family, the high altar and chancel follow a strict Neo-Gothic philosophy.