Archaeologists found remains of a rotunda in Znojmo that has no equivalent in Moravia

Publisher
ČTK
13.05.2022 20:35
Czech Republic

Znojmo

Znojmo – Experts during an archaeological survey, which precedes the reconstruction of the pavement in the Church of St. Hippolyt in the Znojmo part of Hradiště, discovered the remains of two early medieval churches under the current structure. The older church in the form of a rotunda has no equivalent in Moravia in terms of size. Václav Kolařík, the head of the research from the Archaia Brno Institute, told ČTK.


The current church, which has a baroque appearance after the reconstruction, was built in the second half of the 13th century by the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star. The order still owns the church and allowed the archaeological survey before the reconstruction of the pavement. "We have discovered a number of pieces of information about the current church, whose present form dates back to the 1760s. It stands on the foundations of a medieval church from the second half of the 13th century. This dating is enabled by the discovery of a wooden niche in the presbytery and other architectural and stonemasonry elements that confirm the dating," Kolařík stated.

At the same time, remains of an early medieval church that stood on the site in 1240, when it was donated to the Knights by King Václav I, were found beneath the floor. "This church originated in the 12th century and had a square floor plan with a small apse. There was a cemetery around the building; we managed to capture some graves. It was a grand and large structure for its time, and it is almost certain that it was built by some Znojmo prince," the archaeologist added.

Equally grand, however, was the rotunda, which, with its diameter of 13.5 meters, has no equivalent in Moravia in terms of size. "According to our preliminary findings, it dates back to the 11th century; the findings do not currently allow for a more specific dating. Unfortunately, there are no written sources for this period for the location. We will try to refine the dating through radiocarbon analysis of the skeletal findings," said Václav Kolařík.

Archaeologists have already examined the area around the church in the 1950s and 1990s, but they never had access beneath the church's floor. According to the archaeologists, further insights into the history of the site where the Church of St. Hippolyt now stands could help shed more light on the beginnings of Znojmo. "The findings suggest that the residence of the prince was not always at Znojmo Castle, but that it could have been located until the 12th century at Hradiště near Znojmo," Kolařík added. Historic structures will be preserved on-site after the research is completed and covered with new pavement.
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