Cathedral of the Divine Saviour

Cathedral of the Divine Saviour, 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 was built starting in 1883, and which was completed in 1889. The church was designed by Gustav Meretta, the official architect of the Archbishop of Olomouc, with 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 had been dignified into a cathedral. In 1998, a new neo-Baroque organ was installed.