Ducal Rotunda of the Virgin Mary and St Catherine

The Rotunda of St. Catherine is in the area of ​​the Přemyslid Castle in the Moravian town of Znojmo. The early medieval rotunda is decorated with Romanesque frescoes dating from the year 1134, representing Bohemian and Moravian rulers and scenes from the history of the country. Since 1962 she is a national cultural monument.

History

According to archaeological investigations of the construction site was inhabited in the Bronze Age. The remains of a sunken rock in the predecessor object were found on site. The Romanesque, originally dedicated to the Annunciation rotunda was probably in the midst of an extended outer bailey. Its construction is Břetislav I attributed that she must have made no later than 1019, built either during his Moravian and Bohemian during his later reign. Maybe rotunda and Castle also emerged only in the second half of the 11th century, when Moravia was divided into three principalities ( Brno, Znojmo and Olomouc). The first reference of the building dates from the 1100s when Duke Bořivoj II here celebrated wedding. The function of the rotunda is not entirely clear. It is believed that they served both the owner of the castle and his entourage, as well as the environment as God's house. It has no grandstand, which would be typical for a private church. This function should take on an increased horseshoe-shaped stone bench of the archaeologist 's view, whose remains were found in an excavation. As an inscription dating from the 13th century is, let the Přemyslids part Prince Conrad II of Znojmo rebuild the Rotunda in 1134 and decorate with frescoes preserved until today. This year also the patronal feast was extended to the St. Catherine.

After the founding of the town of Znojmo Rotunda was in 1226 as a branch subordinate to the parish church of St. Nicholas. From 1287 it belonged to the parish church of St. Michael, the Henry of Lipa, together with the rotunda in 1320 ceded the local Klarissenkloster. As of 1551, the parish of St. Michael belonged to the city, in 1555 sold the Poor Clares and the rotunda. As it was used in the subsequent period is unknown. 1710 was before the castle walls later Hostan brewery and at the end of the 18th century, a barn was housed in the Rotunda. From 1830 she served as a dance hall and beer. 1879 is here a basket weaving workshop. 1888, the building was reconstructed and 1891-1893, there was a first restoration of the frescoes. Further restoration took place in 1938, 1947-1949 and 1969. Younger conversions took place in the years 1966 and 1991.

On 30 March 1962, the rotunda was explained by the law of the state of the Czechoslovak Republic No 251/ 62 for national cultural monument.

Description

Building

The rotunda consists of an oval boat, in the east apse is connected. The interior brighten small Romanesque windows. The brickwork is not of classic Romanesque ashlar, but of irregular dark rubble, carefully layered. In the masonry itself walled bags of scaffold pole received.

Originally completed a lantern from the roof, but was demolished in the 18th century. The lantern was not provided as the light source, because in the vault only seven small openings were admitted, which probably served for ventilation, for a bell rope, for lamps and the like. The rotunda was probably originally plastered. The plaster fell from obviously or was cut off in the 18th or 19th century.

Frescoes

The interior of the rotunda is painted with Romanesque frescoes. The paintings cover the entire surface of the inner walls of the apse and the nave from floor to dome and are arranged in parallel bands.

In the apse is a drapery in the lower belt run, in the middle the twelve apostles under arches, the dome finally the blessing Christ in the mandorla and symbols of the four evangelists.

In the nave, the lowest band is also formed by a painted drapery, about holding a tape scenes from the youth of Jesus firmly ( the Annunciation, the Visitation, the dream of St. Joseph, the Nativity, the Annunciation of the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, the slaughter of the innocents and the flight into Egypt ). It provides a tape is the vocation Přemysls to power, also are eight figures with ruler symbols and coats and next to the entrance to the apse of the two founders, Conrad II of Znojmo and his wife Mary, depicted. The top band contains additional ten ruling figures with coats and nine rulers without coats. The figures with coats are as Bohemian, the interpreted without coats as Moravian Přemyslids, one of the characters can be recognized by the crown and scepter as king Vratislav II. The dome is decorated with a dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, including the four evangelists sitting on writing consoles between the four cherubim.

Importance

The renovation of the Rotunda was in connection with an agreement with the Bohemian Duke Conrad II Soběslav I.. Latter had the throne in 1125 unlawfully, contrary to the established Senioratsprinzip of Břetislav appropriated. During the first years he had therefore all other pretenders to arrest and incarcerate. He wanted to secure his sons also the Prague throne. After he had uncovered an uprising of the Moravian nobility and punished the conspirators, but he had to find a balance and went a deal with a Conrad II. According to this agreement Konrad was assured the succession, when he would take over the guardianship of Soběslavs sons in return, which in turn should follow him. This pact was probably closed at the wedding of Conrad with Mary, daughter of the Serbian Nemanjic ruler Uroš I, on the Znojmo Castle in 1134. The following painting of the rotunda with the figures of the ruling family and legends about the origin of the dynasty and the state should symbolize Conrad's claim to the throne of Prague.

There are also theories that want to move the frescoes in much earlier times. In the late 1980s the Znojmer historian Jaroslav Zastera presented a thesis that the rotunda was built at the Great Moravian period under King Rastislav as archiepiscopal church. The paintings have led the Saints Methodius, who had mapped here the Moravian ruler. 1134 then the Bohemian rulers were to painted. According Zastera the oldest known Přemyslide Bořivoj I is said to have been a son Rastislav. Another theory presented by the Czech writer Václav Taticek 2001. Then were the frescoes at the suggestion Božetěchs, the last abbot of the monastery Slavic Sázava emerged. Both theories are not scientifically recognized and have been refuted many times.