PT Journal
AU Prix, D
TI Medieval Church of Saint Erasmus in Rohozna near Policka
SO Pruzkumy pamatek
PY 2019
BP 25
EP 58
VL 26
IS 1
DI 10.56112/pp.2019.1.03
WP https://pruzkumypamatek.cz/en/artkey/prp-201901-0003.php
DE Bohemia - Rohozna - Saint Erasmus Church - Gothic architecture - 14th century
SN 12121487
AB Despite its enlargement and reconstruction by Frantisek Schmoranz the Elder in the late 19th century, the rustic aisleless church of Saint Erasmus in Rohozna (Svitavy District) retained its medieval core consisting of the straight-ended elongated presbytery and a wide nave. The church has attracted attention since the mid-19th century especially for its unusual vault which gives the impression of a polygonal termination to the oblong choir ground plan. However, during the 20th century and in the early 21st century, attention was reduced to mere mentions in wider explanatory contexts (e.g. Vaclav Mencl, Jan Sommer, and most recently Jakub Adamski) or contrarily was mainly focused on the structure regardless of its architectural context (e.g. Zdenek Wirth, Dobroslav Libal). This led to the dispersion of dates of origin; with respect to the latest non-destructive surveys and comparisons to adjacent structures the dating has been specified to 1340 - before 1349. It shows that the church in Rohozna is the oldest surviving example of a special-type vault, referred to as pseudopolygonal (the term was coined and reasoned by Jakub Adamski in 2013), among the rustic aisleless churches in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. Taking into account the latest findings (e.g. Jan Beranek in the Czech lands or the Austrian research over the past couple of years) and comparing it to structures that have not yet been included in publications (Chapel of St Catherine in Krems an der Donau, Church of St Martin in Neukirchen an der Wild in Lower Austria), a new explication can be drafted regarding one branch of the medieval process of gradual changes of Gothic vault art prior to the reformation appearance of Peter Parler in the third quarter of the 14th century.
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