Benedikt Rejt

Benedikt Rejt
A probable portrait of Benedikt Rejt, detail of the painting Danish king Eric comes to see St. Wenceslas church in the St. Wenceslas Chapel of St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague
Born	Benedikt Ried c. 1450
Died	between 1531 and 1536
Nationality	Bohemian
Known for	Architecture
Notable work	Vladislav Hall in Prague, St. Barbara's Church in Kutná Hora, St. Anne's Church in Annaberg, St. Nicolas Church in Louny
Movement	Late Gothic style, sometimes with Renaissance elements (so called Jagiellonian Gothic)

Benedikt Rejt (often spelled Benedikt Ried), also known as Benedikt Rieth, Benedikt Reyd, or Benedict Reijt. In Czech, he often has the epithet "of Pístov" [a village in the Czech Republic or on the Piesting?] or "of Louny"; c. 1450 – between 1531 and 1536)

Benedikt Rejt was a leading medieval architect in Bohemia, today's Czech Republic. He built Vladislav Hall (1497–1500) in Prague Castle, St. Barbara's Church, Kutna Hora, (c. 1482) and other buildings in Late Gothic and early Renaissance style.

Bohemia became the cultural center of Central Europe when Charles IV brought the Holy Roman Emperor's court to Prague in the 14th century. The Royal Court Workshop under the guidance of Peter Parler was one of the highlights of Gothic architecture in the Holy Roman Empire. The Hussite Wars then stopped all plans for cultural development in the region for many decades. When Bohemia was again open to Europe after 1480, during the reign of Vladislav Jagellonský, good architects were in great demand. The king as well as Bohemian noblemen (the House of Rosenberg being among the richest) searched the surrounding workshops, especially in Danubian countries, for a master builder to realize their projects. The king had a great challenge in the court of Meissen, where Albert III, Duke of Saxony started building Albrechtsburg in 1471.