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 bears the name of the pious philanthropist, on the door of which is affixed the ring supposed to be held in his death grasp. St. Wenceslas helmet and armour are deposited there; near in an adjoining treasury are the Bohemian “Crown“ jewels.

In the nave of the Cathedral repose Charles IV., the “Father of the Country“, and other Bohemian Kings.

The silver shrine of St. John Nepomuk deserves attention.

Near the principal tower of the Cathedral is an ornamental fountain with an old equestrian statue of St. George and the dragon dated 1373, which is reproduced in plaster for the Victoria and Albert Museum at South Kensington.

The cathedral shares with the Royal Palace, ancient churches, palaces and monasteries, a noble site on the summit of a hill overlooking the river Vltava.

The superb Royal Castle of Prague was the seat of the Bohemian kings of Přemysl, Luxemburg, Jagellon and Habsburg dynasties till 1620, when the Royal Court was transferred to Vienna. The castle represents still the Bohemian State idea. Emperor and King Francis Joseph makes the palace his residence durring his visits to Prague.

The most interesting part of the interior of the palace is the large Gothic hall built by King Vladislav in 1484.

From the room that originally contained the land registry, an institution not unlike the “DoomsdlayDoomsday [sic] Book“ in England, the Imperial counsellors were thrown in 1618 an event known in history as the Defenstration of Prague and the immediate cause of the Thirty Years’ War.

Close by the cathedral to East is the Romanesque Church of St. George, that dates back to 1142; a few steps distant is a picturesque lane with so called Alchymists’ Houses; further on the Black Tower and the “Daliborka“ (a famous state prison and torturing chamber.).

Close by to the West of the Royal Palace is the Palace of the Archbishop of Prague, the Primate of the Bohemian Kingdom.

Near by to the West is the Monastery of St. Loretto, in the court of which is a replica of the house of St. Joseph and St. Anne of Nazareth.

In the reliquary of the Monastery is a display of jewels and ornaments of gold; the central piece a monstrance contains 6580 diamonds.