The Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Prague and the chapter cathedral of the canons of the Metropolitan Chapter in Prague, who have taken care of the cathedral, its furnishings and its operation throughout the entire course of its existence. Festive services are held here and people pray the Liturgy of the Hours together. There is also a Roman Catholic parish attached to the cathedral as with other parish churches. The parish provides the ecclesiastical administration and all liturgical operations of the cathedral throughout the entire liturgical year. In terms of staff, it is bound to the Metropolitan Chapter by the parish priest, who is appointed from the ranks of the canons; the competences of the chapter and the parish in the cathedral are therefore to some extent combined. The parish priest is responsible for the liturgical operation of the cathedral, coordinating and performing all other functions of the ecclesiastical administrator in accordance with the Code of Canon Law. The parish priest of St. Vitus Cathedral is currently Mons. PhDr. JCLic. Milan Hanuš. However, the overall sphere of activity of our Roman Catholic parish is larger and, apart from the cathedral which is the parish church, also includes other churches in Hradčany. These are St. George’s Basilica and the Chapter Church of All Saints at Prague Castle, the Church of Saint Benedict on Hradčanské náměstí and the Church of St. John of Nepomuk, information about which can be found below, as well as all of the other smaller places of worship and chapels in the parish where the message of the Gospel is also heard (e.g. the chapel in the Archbishop’s Palace or the chapels in the chapter houses, etc.)
From the point of view of its status, the parish at the cathedral is a regional community of Roman Catholics (Catholics of the Latin rite) within the First Prague Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Prague. However, due to its location in the middle of the seat of the President of the Czech Republic and the special character of the area of Prague Castle and Hradčany, it performs its own specific mission. Visitors to services, especially at the cathedral, come in large numbers from all over the world, and the doors of our churches are open to all who come with good intentions, be these people who attend services regularly or those still seeking the presence of God. The cathedral is also the main pilgrimage site in the Archdiocese of Prague and houses the relics of many saints from all corners of the world.
