A giant of glass and sound: St. Vitus Cathedral gets powerful new voice
After years of fundraising, design work and construction, the new organ for St. Vitus Cathedral is finally complete. Built in Spain, inspired by a Czech natural landmark and funded by public donations, the instrument will be inaugurated with a ceremonial service and concert at Prague Castle.
For centuries, Prague’s famous St. Vitus Cathedral has been shaped not only by architects and craftsmen but also by the generosity of ordinary people. From stained-glass windows funded by banks and businesses to today’s public fundraising campaigns, the Czech Republic’s most important cathedral has long relied on collective support. The latest chapter in that tradition has just reached its conclusion. Following a nationwide campaign that raised more than 135 million crowns, a new organ – designed to combine Spanish craftsmanship, Czech artistic inspiration and a unique sound – is ready to fill the Gothic interior of St. Vitus Cathedral for generations to come.
Six years ago, organist Josef Kšica travelled to a small workshop near Barcelona to try the instrument himself.
“I enjoyed playing it immensely. It is an unparalleled instrument. I have to say it truly captivated me, and I look forward to seeing it installed in the cathedral.”
The artistic design of the organ was created by automotive designer Peter Olah. He drew inspiration from Panská skála, a Czech national natural monument in the Liberec Region often nicknamed the “stone organ” because of its distinctive basalt columns. When the rock freezes in winter, crystalline formations appear between the columns. This inspired the inclusion of one-metre-long crystal elements produced in a Czech glassworks.
“The combination of organ pipes and crystal or glass is unique, and that is what will make our organ exceptional from both an artistic and architectural perspective,”
Said Štěpán Svoboda, diocesan organ specialist at the Prague Archbishopric, speaking on Czech Radio.
„The organ will also be distinctive in its sound. Just as languages differ from one another, so too do the “voices” of organ pipes. The instrument’s Spanish origins will therefore bring a character unlike that of organs traditionally heard in the Czech lands.”
Preparing the cathedral gallery for the installation required extensive work, including the installation of new electrical wiring and the restoration of the stone balcony, known as the choir loft. These upgrades were necessary to support the organ, which features four manuals, a pedalboard and 96 stops. Its smallest pipe measures just seven millimetres, while the largest exceeds seven metres in length.
After years of work, planning and craftsmanship, the new organ for St. Vitus Cathedral is finally complete — and today it will be officially inaugurated. What can visitors expect during the ceremonial presentation of the unique instrument? According to Jakub Skřejpek, Vice-Chairman of the Board of the St. Vitus Organ Foundation Fund, the ceremony will bear a strong symbolic element.
“The inauguration ceremony will feature the Czech Philharmonic, a large choir, and a choir from Catalonia. It is symbolic, because that is where the organ was built.”
The ceremony will take place on Monday at 5 p.m. as part of a church service featuring Antonín Dvořák’s Lužany Mass.
