Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral

Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

The Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius stands on Resslova Street in Prague's New Town, a few minutes' walk from Charles Square and the river, and the cathedral itself is free, while the crypt, which houses the National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror, charges a small admission. It is one of the most moving places in Prague. Walking tours about the Second World War and Operation Anthropoid include the crypt, along with the site of the assassination attempt in Liben, and several films have told the story.

The bullet holes from the siege of 1942 can still be seen in the wall around the crypt window on the street. The Dancing House, a well-known modern building, is at the end of the street by the river. The crypt exhibition is labelled in Czech and English. Tours about Operation Anthropoid also visit the memorial at the site of the attack in the Liben district.

Visiting Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral: what to see

The church was built between 1730 and 1740 as a Catholic church dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and Paul Ignaz Bayer, in the baroque style. It was closed in the late eighteenth century and later given to the Czech Orthodox Church, which rededicated it in 1935 to Saints Cyril and Methodius, the missionaries who brought Christianity to the Slavs. In 1942, after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi governor of Bohemia and Moravia, the Czechoslovak paratroopers who had carried it out hid in the crypt with the help of the Orthodox clergy.

Betrayed, they were besieged by hundreds of SS troops on 18 June, and after hours of fighting and attempts to flood the crypt, all seven died. The Nazis executed the bishop and priests who had sheltered them. The crypt holds an exhibition about the events, with portraits of the paratroopers. Above ground, the cathedral interior is simple, with an iconostasis and Orthodox icons installed after it was given to the Orthodox Church. A memorial plaque on the facade honours the paratroopers and the clergy. In the crypt, the small window through which the Nazis tried to force water and smoke is visible from inside. The names of the seven men who died are listed with photographs and personal stories.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The crypt memorial is open from Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays; the cathedral is open at service times and for visits. The anniversary of the battle on 18 June is marked with a commemoration, and flowers are left beneath the window throughout the year. Prague is busiest from spring to autumn; this street is quiet compared with the old town. Winter is cold, but the crypt is visited in all seasons. Allow about forty-five minutes for the crypt and exhibition, and walk down to the river and the Dancing House afterwards. Charles Square, the largest square in Prague, is a park with benches and trees two minutes away.