Between 1619 and 1621, St. Vitus Cathedral experienced its darkest years. Protestant preachers, led by the fanatical Scultetus, decided to transform this Catholic church into their own image and began plundering its centuries-old altars and shrines. However, the cathedral walls, soaked in the prayers of generations, began to defend themselves. It is told that Scultetus’s brother-in-law, who contemptuously touched the altar at the tomb of St. Vitus, fell dead on the spot, and other desecrators were afflicted with lifelong disability.

The cathedral came alive especially at night, when no mortal remained within. A fearless sacristan who had himself locked in the church overnight spoke of a miracle: at midnight, a celestial light poured from St. Wenceslas Chapel, and a procession of Czech patrons emerged. All in glowing robes stepped before the high altar and celebrated a silent mass for the salvation of the nation. At Easter, Scultetus attempted a final provocation—he forbade the ringing of bells, but the next day the bells rang out on their own with such force that the entire Castle trembled.

Even thieves and looters felt the power of this place. A story is told of a gang that tried to hide in the church behind the altar, but was overcome by a magical sleep. They were awakened only by the crowing of a rooster at the feet of the statue of St. Vitus and a radiating glow that blinded them in the deep of night. Terror-stricken, they jumped through the window right into the arms of the castle guard. It is said that on the day these looters were executed, roosters began singing all over Prague as if celebrating the justice that St. Vitus himself had exercised over his cathedral.