Statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius at Charles Bridge

The Statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius stand on the north parapet of Charles Bridge in Prague, the historic crossing over the Vltava that links the Old Town with the Lesser Quarter. Carved by Czech sculptor Karel Dvořák, the group is one of thirty statues lining the bridge — and, notably, the youngest of them all.

Where exactly is it?

The sculpture sits on the northern side of Charles Bridge, among the long row of saints that has watched over pedestrians crossing the river for centuries. Its coordinates, 50.0865289N, 14.4115178E, place it roughly at the midpoint of the bridge, surrounded by other figures honoring patrons of Bohemia and Europe.

Why was it built here?

The spot wasn't always occupied by Cyril and Methodius. It previously held a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, carved by Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff, one of the leading Baroque sculptors who worked on Charles Bridge. That statue was destroyed in the great flood of 1890, which badly damaged the bridge and swept several sculptures into the river below. The vacant pedestal waited decades for a replacement.

It wasn't until 1928 that the Ministry of Education and National Enlightenment commissioned Karel Dvořák to fill the gap with a new composition honoring Cyril and Methodius, the brothers from Thessaloniki remembered as the Apostles to the Slavs. Dvořák spent a full decade on the project, and the finished monument was installed in 1938. He deliberately matched his style to the surrounding Baroque statues so the new work would blend into the bridge's historic character, even though it was created two centuries later.

What does the statue show?

The composition centers on the two brothers: St. Methodius is shown making a gesture of blessing, while below him St. Cyril holds a book and a model of a Romanesque rotunda, symbols of the Christian faith and the written word he helped bring to the Slavic peoples. At the base of the monument stand allegorical figures representing the three national groups tied to the brothers' legacy — Czechs, Moravians, and Slovaks.

Cyril and Methodius were ninth-century Byzantine missionaries sent from Thessaloniki to Great Moravia, where they preached Christianity in a language the local population could understand. They are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first Slavic script, and with translating liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic. For this work they are venerated as patrons of the Slavic peoples, and since 1980, by decision of Pope John Paul II, as co-patron saints of Europe. In the Czech Republic, their feast day on July 5 is a public holiday.

Why stop here?

The statue stands out among Charles Bridge's other figures not just for its subject but for its age: it is the last entirely original sculpture commissioned for the bridge, created in the era of independent Czechoslovakia rather than the Baroque period of most of its neighbors. For visitors crossing the bridge, it's a good place to pause — both to study the sculpture itself and to take in the view of the Vltava and the bridge towers on either side.

Frequently asked questions

Who created the Statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius on Charles Bridge? Czech sculptor Karel Dvořák, who worked on the composition between 1928 and 1938.

What stood on this spot before? A statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola by Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff, destroyed in the 1890 flood.

What does the sculpture depict? St. Methodius giving a blessing and St. Cyril holding a book and a model of a Romanesque rotunda, with allegorical figures of Czechs, Moravians, and Slovaks at the base.

What are Saints Cyril and Methodius known for? Ninth-century Byzantine missionaries who created the Glagolitic alphabet and translated liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic, venerated as Apostles to the Slavs and co-patron saints of Europe.