Statue of Carolus Magnus

The Statue of Charlemagne stands on the viewing terrace along Barborská Street in Kutná Hora, on the route leading from the former Jesuit College toward St. Barbara's Cathedral. It is one figure in a set of Baroque saint statues that forms one of the most recognizable features of the town's historic core.

Where does this statue come from?

The group of twelve stone statues of saints was created between 1703 and 1716 at the initiative of the Jesuits, who ran a college in Kutná Hora at the time. The original figures were carved by František Baugut, a sculptor active in the region during the Baroque period. After 1740 the ensemble was expanded with a thirteenth figure, St. John of Nepomuk, placed closer to the entrance gate and made by an unknown author. Charlemagne belongs to the original set of twelve.

Why Charlemagne among the saints?

Baroque iconographic programs at Jesuit colleges often combined canonized saints with historical figures held up as models of a Christian ruler. Charlemagne, crowned emperor in 800 and venerated locally in Aachen since the twelfth century, fit that role as a symbol of a ruler devoted to the faith and the Church. In Kutná Hora his figure was placed alongside patron saints, forming a coherent cycle of exemplary figures meant to be studied by the college's students and admired by the town's residents.

Where exactly does the statue stand?

The statue is located on the terrace along Barborská Street, in the part of town known as Kutná Hora-Vnitřní Město, at coordinates 49.94549 N, 15.264 E. The placement of the whole set of statues along this route is deliberate — Barborská Street leads directly to St. Barbara's Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic monuments in the Czech Republic, and walking past the saints' figures functions almost as a prelude to entering the cathedral grounds.

How does it fit into the rest of Kutná Hora's monuments?

Kutná Hora is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a historic town centre with St. Barbara's Church and the former royal mint, and the Baroque statue ensemble on the terrace is part of the same historic urban layout. The figures, including the statue of Charlemagne, are today treated as an integral part of the approach to the cathedral, alongside the former Jesuit college building itself, which now houses the regional gallery of Central Bohemia.

Frequently asked questions

Who carved the statue of Charlemagne in Kutná Hora? It belongs to a set of twelve statues of saints created between 1703 and 1716 by the sculptor František Baugut, commissioned by the local Jesuits.

Where is the statue located? On the terrace along Barborská Street in Kutná Hora, on the route running from the former Jesuit College to St. Barbara's Cathedral.

Was Charlemagne actually a saint? He was formally canonized in 1165 by the antipope Paschal III and is venerated locally, mainly in Aachen; in the Baroque iconographic program of Jesuit colleges he served as a model of a Christian ruler alongside the recognized saints.

Is this the only statue of its kind nearby? No — it stands among more than a dozen other Baroque saint statues arranged along the same route, forming a single sculptural ensemble in front of the former Jesuit College.

Is it worth combining a visit with St. Barbara's Cathedral? Yes — the route along the statues leads directly to the cathedral, making it a natural part of a visit to Kutná Hora's most important landmark.