Rotunda of St. Kateřiny Znojmo
A unique building of Romanesque architecture and a national cultural monument, the rotunda of St. Kateřina in Znojmo, gained its uniqueness also thanks to unique wall paintings in the interior, which are often called one of the first comics in the world. They describe the path of Přemysl Oráč to the princely throne, biblical scenes, paintings from Kosma's chronicle and the fantasies of their creators.
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Interesting facts Rotunda of St. Kateřiny Znojmo
Other frescoes depict the Czech and Moravian Přemyslids, who are separated by a type of dress - the Czech Přemyslids are dressed in cloaks. The Přemyslid epic was probably supplemented by comments captured in individual dividing strips, of which only fragments have survived to this day. The creators allegedly chose this way of depiction due to the frequent illiteracy of the then rulers, in order to create a work understandable to all. These unique Romanesque murals date back to 1134.
If we would like to find completely preserved monuments of the Přemyslid princely castle in the city of Znojmo, we would find that it is the rotunda of St. Kateřiny is the only building of this kind. It was built at the southern border of Přemyslid Moravia as part of the then fortifications.
Its construction was probably initiated by Prince Břetislav I. and it started sometime after the middle of the 11th century. The rotunda ceased to function shortly after 1226, at the moment when Znojmo became a royal city. The rotunda was later acquired by the Order of Poor Clares and in the 16th century it was bought by the city, which had a brewery built near the rotunda.
The base of the rotunda is a cylindrical ship with an apse attached to the east side. It is located in a dominant place on a rocky outcrop and the entrance to the interior is led by a staircase.
Author: Andrea Štyndlová