Cathedral of the Divine Saviour

Cathedral of the Divine Saviour
Katedrála Božského Spasitele
Cathedral of the Divine Saviour
Location in the Czech Republic
49°50′09″N 18°17′20″E / 49.8358°N 18.2890°E / 49.8358; 18.2890
LocationOstrava
CountryCzech Republic
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusActive
Founded1883
DedicationDivine Saviour
Architecture
Functional statusCathedral
Architect(s)Gustav Meretta
Architectural typeChurch
StyleNeo-Romanesque
Years built1883-1889
Specifications
Capacity4000 people
Number of spires2
Administration
DioceseOstrava-Opava
Clergy
Bishop(s)Martin David

Cathedral of the Divine Saviour (Czech: Katedrála Božského Spasitele), located in the center of Ostrava, is the second largest Roman Catholic cathedral in Moravia and Silesia (after the basilica in Velehrad near Uherské Hradiště). This three-nave Neo-Renaissance basilica with a semi-circular apse and two 67m high towers is dating since 1889 (building started in 1883). The church was designed by Gustav Meretta, the official architect of the Archbishop of Olomouc, and the interior by Max von Ferstel.

The main nave is 14 m wide and 22 m high, the two side aisles are 7 m wide and 10 m high each. The seating capacity of the cathedral is 4,000 people. On May 30, 1996, Pope John Paul II established the Diocese of Ostrava-Opava, and soon after the basilica has been dignified into a cathedral. In 1998, a new neo-Baroque organ was installed.