Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral

For a Catholic church in Prague, see Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Karlín).

Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius

The Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Nové Město, Prague, Czech Republic, is the principal church in the Metropolitan Council of the Czech Republic. The existing structure had its origins as a Roman Catholic church built between 1730 and 1736 by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, archbishop and cardinal of Milan in the 17th century.

In 1942, during World War II, the cathedral was the scene of the last stand of a number of Czech and Slovak patriots who had assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi SS Obergruppenfuhrer and General of Police. After a fierce gun battle, they reportedly committed suicide to avoid capture. Presently there is a museum in the church dedicated to them as national heroes. Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld was in command of the troops that stormed the church on 18 June 1942.

External links

• Detailed report regarding the attack on the church and the killing of the assassins - with numerous photographs

References

• Orthodox Wiki: Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral (Prague, Czech Republic)