Rotunda of St. Nicholas

The rotunda in Cieszyn is one of the oldest architectural monuments in Poland. According to folk legend, it was erected in the place of an ancient pagan temple devoted to the Slavic goddess of winter, Morana. The Romanesque rotunda was built out of flat limestone rocks on a circular plan with a diameter of 6.4 m. The walls are 1.5 m thick. On the eastern side, there is a semicircular apse with the altar and tabernacle. From the northern nave, stairs lead to the choir loft based on four columns and two half-columns. In 1836-1839, the Castle Hill was completely rebuilt. The rotunda was transformed into a classicist chapel: the Romanesque walls were covered by a classicist casing, a metal roof was added, the windows were enlarged, and the floor was lifted. During the reconstruction in 1955, the rotunda returned to its original style.