'Crown of Saint Wenceslas' is the part of
Czech crown jewels (also called Czech treasure) made in
1347.
Charles IV had it made for his coronation and forthwith he dedicated it to the first patron saint of the country St. Wenceslas and bequeathed it as a state crown for the coronation of future Czech kings, his successors to the Czech throne. On the orders of Charles IV the new Royal Crown was to be permanently deposited in St. Vitus Cathedral in
Prague Castle). It was used last time for the coronation of Czech king
Ferdinand V in
1836.
Jewels
The St. Wenceslas Crown wrought of extremely pure gold, 21 to 22 carat (88 to 92 %), decorated with precious stones and pearls. It contains a total of 19 sapphires, 44 spinels, 1 ruby, 30 emeralds and 20 pearls. Some of these stones are the biggest in the world.
Legend
Legend has it that whoever wears this Crown without lawful right will die within a year. Often mentioned example is the death of
Reinhard Heydrich (top
Nazi leader and protector of
Bohemia and
Moravia)
External links
★
Official info of Prague Castle
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