Gold Coin 2000 CZK Rotunda in Znojmo Romanesque Style 2001 Proof

Gold Coin - Ten Centuries of Architecture - Romanesque Style

On the obverse side there is an artistic composition of heraldic animals of the various landmarks. The contemporary coat of arms of Znojmo is placed under the Czech lion. The name of the state " CZECH REPUBLIC " and the denomination "2000 CZK" are placed in three lines below the composition of heraldic animals. The text "TEN CENTURIES OF ARCHITECTURE" is placed around the perimeter of the coin in the description.

The central image on the reverse side depicts Přemysl Oráč with oxen against the background of the rotunda. The image of Přemysl Oráč was inspired by a fresco depicting the legend of the installation of Přemysl Oráč on the princely throne by Princess Libuše. In the unsealed copy from left to right there is the text "ZNOJMO - ROTUNDA" and "ROMAN SLOH". In the middle of the text is the letter 'H', which is the initial of the author of the design, the academic sculptor Jiří Harcuba. The year of mintage '2001' is given under the oxen. The mintage was carried out by the Czech Mint in Jablonec nad Nisou, whose mark is placed on the obverse side of the coin in the centre under the currency designation 'CZK'.

Rotunda of St. Catherine

The Rotunda of St. Catherine stands in the grounds of the Přemyslid castle in Znojmo. It is one of many rotundas built in the early Middle Ages in Moravia and Bohemia, and differs from the others by its preserved murals from 1134. These paintings are exceptional in the Romanesque art of Europe for their focus on the ideology of the state.

Archaeological research has shown that the site was already inhabited in the Bronze Age. Traces of a lighter building cut into the rock have been found directly on the site of the present rotunda. It is possible that the rocky outcrop had a cult function at this time.

The Romanesque Rotunda of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Znojmo was very probably founded as part of Znojmo Castle in the middle of a large forecourt. It is believed to have been built as part of the castle by Břetislav I, either during his Moravian or later Czech reign, but not before 1019, when Moravia was conquered by the Přemyslids. For the time being, the possibility that the rotunda and the entire castle were built in the second half of the 11th century has not been confirmed, but only at the time of the division of Moravia into three partitioned Přemyslid principalities (Brno, Znojmo and Olomouc). Most recent scholarly research concludes that the construction of the rotunda and the paintings were created in the first half of the 12th century during the reign of Prince Konrad of Znojmo, including the dedication to St. Catherine of Alexandria.

The function of the rotunda is also not entirely clear, but it is assumed that it served as a castle chapel. The existence of a tribune, typical of a patrician church, was assumed to be replaced by a raised horseshoe-shaped 'bench', the remains of which were not found during the archaeological survey of the building by Bohuslav Klíma the Younger. However, the archaeological research was guided only by the literature published at the time.

During restoration work in 1947, a Latin inscription was discovered carved into the plaster. In view of its partial damage and the common practice of omitting letters, the interpretation of the inscription is not clear. However, the prevailing interpretation is that in 1134, Prince Conrad II. Znojmo's second founder, modified the status of the shrine of the Virgin Mary and dedicated it to Saint Catherine. The inscription is the only written evidence of the original dedication of the rotunda to the Virgin Mary, its meaning and dating is somewhat unclear, in any case it was probably created in the second half of the 13th century, probably as a copy of an older original text.

After the promotion of Znojmo to a town, the building was subordinated to the parish church of St. Nicholas in 1226 as a branch church. From 1287 it was a branch church to the parish church of St. Michael, which (including the rotunda) was ceded by Henry of Lipá to the monastery of the nuns of St. Clare in 1320. In 1551 the parish of St. Michael was acquired by the town, to which the Poor Clares subsequently sold the rotunda in 1555. It is not entirely clear how it was used in the following period.

In 1710 a burgher brewery was established in the forecourt, during the construction of which all the buildings were demolished except the rotunda (marked Heidentempl = pagan temple) and the very old octagonal robber tower (Räuberturm). At the end of the 18th century, the rotunda was converted into a stable and in 1830 the rotunda was rebuilt to serve as a dance hall and beer tap. In 1879 a basket-making workshop is documented here. In 1888 the rotunda was reconstructed and subsequently, in 1891-93, the first restoration of the paintings took place. Further restoration of the paintings took place in 1938, 1947-49, 1969 and 1971. Younger modifications to the rotunda were carried out in 1966, 1991 and 2006.

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