Prague’s early chapels and churches seem to all have been rotundas. At least, that’s all we seem to have left. Close to the Vltava river, almost overshadowed by newer buildings, you can find the Rotunda of the finding of the Holy Cross.
This article explains its provenance and history of this oddly named church.
History
They built the chapel some time in the 11th century.1. The first records we have of the rotunda are from 13651, but archeological research shows it is older than that. This makes it the oldest Romanesque rotunda in Prague1.
There must have been a building spree in Prague at the time, because they built St Martin’s rotunda around the same time.
In 1625 the Dominicans of St Giles took over the responsibility of the place1. Their refectory is a few minutes’ walk away so this made sense, at least from a logistical perspective.
In 1784 Emperor Joseph II converted the rotunda into a warehouse1. By 1860 the town earmarked the rotunda for destruction but the town council bought it with the intent of restoring it1.
There’s another rotunda not far from this one – St Stephen’s Rotunda.
Legend
Local legend claims there used to be a pond where the rotunda now stands. A young girl who lived nearby converted to Christianity against her parents wishes. Shocked, they crucified her and threw her on the cross into this pond. A storm raged that night, which raised the cross. Locals claim this was the work of God1.
During the rotunda’s repair, they found a rotting wooden cross in the foundations of the building1. There’s no record of which restoration this was, what happened to the cross, and whether there was evidence of a crucifixion, but the story contains all the necessary elements to be a proper legend nonetheless.
Architecture and art
The building has a rounded hull with a semicircular apse on its eastern side1. The hull has an arched dome with smaller windows all around it1. There is a lantern at the top of this dome.
The bricks used are all limestone rocks and are small1. People began to use larger blocks from the 12th century so this fits in with the history of the place.
While being restored at the end of the 19th century, Prague’s Josef Manes painted his ‘Worship in the St Cross Chapel’ in which he laid out his vision for the interior decor of the rotunda. His ideas were not considered, but he did have form; he’s famous for the face of the Prague Astronomical clock.
Similarities with St Martin’s rotunda
- They’re both 11th century rotundae.
- Their apse is on their eastern side.
- In the late 19th century, they both were to be destroyed.
- Town councils intervened to save them in both cases.
- Emperor Joseph II shut them both down to convert them into warehouses.
- They both were reconsecrated and are both now Roman Catholic churches again.
I find it interesting that rotundas were in vogue in the 11th century, and that so many of them survived till today. This rotunda was spared destruction but who knows how many disappeared?
It’s places like this that are our connections to what life was like 900 years ago.