ORGANpromotion - Organ Dedication at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague

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The new organ in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague – a visual and sonic masterpiece

Generations of church musicians, believers, and priests had been waiting for this: in Prague, on June 15, the new organ of St. Vitus Cathedral was inaugurated. Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl described the instrument during a festive mass on Monday as the “new voice of the cathedral,” not through words, but through music reaching into the hearts of people. The organ, with 121 stops, 5,755 pipes, and two consoles, was blessed by the emeritus Archbishop Jan Graubner. During the three-hour festive mass, works by Antonín Dvořák, George Frideric Handel, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Joseph Haydn were performed. The celebration is also considered a symbolic conclusion of the nearly seven-century-long construction of the most important church in the Czech Republic at Prague Castle.
The organ, specially designed for the exceptional acoustics of St. Vitus Cathedral, was built in the workshop of organ builder Gerhard Grenzing in El Papiol near Barcelona. Grenzing described the project as a highlight of his professional life and spoke of a true work of art serving the music, liturgy, and architecture of the cathedral. The case design concept comes from Jan von Hassel. The external design was created by Grenzing’s design team and designer Peter Olah in mutual inspiration as co-authors. Both state: “We did not want to create an object that dominates the cathedral, but one that enters into dialogue with it.” The seemingly floating pipes are complemented by around 180 elements made of Bohemian crystal. “We did not want to create an object that dominates the cathedral, but one that enters into dialogue with it,” explained Peter Olah.
The initiative to build the instrument goes back to Cardinal Dominik Duka (1943–2025), who passed away half a year ago. Soon after taking office as Archbishop of Prague in 2010, Duka began considering a fundamental enhancement of the cathedral. After the lighting was renewed and the choir area restored, Duka advocated for the construction of a representative cathedral organ. The cardinal set the project in motion and initiated a fundraising campaign.
More than 12,000 donors contributed, thereby financing the majority of the nearly 5 million euro project. The decisive implementation phase in St. Vitus Cathedral took place during the time of Archbishop Graubner from 2022 onwards. The sound of the new organ could already be heard at Duka’s funeral last November.
The history of organ music in St. Vitus Cathedral dates back to the 13th century. The first reliable mention of an organ comes from the time of King Ottokar II Přemysl. At that time, the dean of the cathedral chapter commissioned a new organ for 26 marks of silver. The instrument was relatively small; it was sometimes played with fists or elbows. During the reign of Charles IV, another organ was likely built.
A particular highlight was the so-called “Imperial Instrument,” commissioned by Emperor Ferdinand I and completed in 1570. It was used not only during church services but also at the coronations of Bohemian kings. This organ was destroyed in 1757 during the Prussian siege of Prague. Its successor was built in 1765, a Baroque organ by organ builder Johann Anton Gartner with 2,619 pipes. Parts of this instrument have been preserved to this day. After the completion of St. Vitus Cathedral in 1929, a new large west organ was planned, but financial means were lacking. Instead, a temporary organ was installed in 1930 on the old north gallery. This proved insufficient for the vast church space. The west gallery intended for a representative cathedral organ remained empty for more than 90 years. Only with the newly inaugurated Grenzing organ was the original vision finally fulfilled.