Cathedral of St. Nicholas in České Budějovice

The origins of the Church of St. Nicholas date back to the 13th century, when it was founded as a parish church for the royal town. Between 1518 and 1535, it was rebuilt in the Late Gothic style, followed by another reconstruction after the building's collapse in 1551. In 1641, most of the structure was destroyed by a major fire, prompting another reconstruction—this time in the Baroque style. Italian builders J. Cipriani and F. Canevalle were tasked with transforming the church into its Baroque form. It was completed in 1649, though between 1686–88, the Italian architect G. A. de Maggi redesigned the façade to its present appearance, and S. Careghetti enriched it with stucco decorations.

The cathedral underwent further alterations and repairs in the years 1857–58, 1912–13, and 1969–70. The interior features a three-nave design divided by three pairs of massive prismatic pillars, vaulted with barrel vaulting and lunettes. The rich stucco decoration was created by T. Zeisl. The main altar from 1791, made by Z. Hueber, features a large painting of St. Nicholas from 1648 by D. Bachmann.

Surprisingly, a cemetery once surrounded the church, serving the town’s bourgeois families from the city's founding until 1784, when it was abolished. An archaeological survey in 2001 uncovered intriguing grave goods—jewelry, medallions, and crosses.

After the founding of the new diocese based in České Budějovice, the church was elevated to cathedral status, becoming the first and principal church of the entire diocese.