Saint Giles chapel in Krobia, Romanesque church chapel in Krobia, Poland.
The Chapel of Saint Giles in Krobia is a Romanesque oriented chapel with a rectangular nave and a semicircular apse. Its walls are made of dressed field stone, with sandstone facing at the corners and around the portals; the apse is brick with field-stone additions. The main altar holds a 16th-century painting of the Virgin Mary.
The chapel was built in the early 12th century, probably founded by Władysław Herman or Piotr Włostowic; the exact date is unknown because Krobia's town documents burned in an 18th-century fire. It was renewed in 1440 on the initiative of Andrzej Bniński, bishop of Poznań. In 1605 the portal and west gable were restored, in 1802 a new ceiling was laid and the walls repaired, and in 1929 work covered the ceilings and elevations again. Until the consecration of the church of St Nicholas it served as the parish church.
The chapel is dedicated to Saint Giles and served as Krobia's parish church until the consecration of the church of Saint Nicholas. A local legend holds that it was built on the site of a hermitage once occupied by an old man who outwitted death. The main altar holds a 16th-century painting of the Virgin Mary.
The chapel stands on the cemetery grounds in Krobia, not on any hill; the sources record no hill or windows. It is oriented, with its apse facing east, and is reached on foot from the town. It serves as the cemetery chapel, so access depends on cemetery use and ceremonies.
The chapel's walls are laid in coursed field stone, with sandstone facing only at the corners and around the portals; the apse is brick with field stones mixed in. The building is oriented, its presbytery end facing east. Municipal documents burned in an 18th-century fire in Krobia, so the exact year of construction is unknown.
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