Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus, Gothic chapel in Znojmo, Czech Republic
The Chapel of Saint Wenceslaus stands on Mikulášské náměstí and displays Gothic features including pointed arches and stone construction. The structure represents medieval religious architecture that has survived to the present day.
The chapel was built before 1521 by Kateřina z Bučic, who bought part of the old cemetery by St Nicholas Church and founded two connected chapels. The lower chapel, probably older and possibly 14th-century, was dedicated mainly to St Martin; the upper to St Anne and St Catherine. The name comes from the Gothic statue of St Wenceslaus on the facade, though the dedication to him occurred only in 1947. The town bought it in 1785 for 90 gulden.
The chapel's name comes from the knightly statue of Saint Wenceslaus on the main facade, but the actual dedication to him occurred only in 1947. Since 2008 the association Iuvenes – Znoyem has run concerts and exhibitions in both the upper and lower chapels.
The chapel stands beside the Church of Saint Nicholas on Mikulášské náměstí. The lower chapel lies below ground level and is cut into the rock, while the upper chapel is reached by the octagonal stair tower on the right of the facade; the outer gallery, once part of the town fortifications, looks over the Dyje valley.
The name "Svatováclavská" comes from the knightly statue of Saint Wenceslaus on the main facade, but the chapel was formally consecrated to him only in 1947. In 1824 a 16th-century panel altar of the Passion was found here and given to the imperial castle at Laxenburg; it is now in the National Gallery in Vienna's Lower Belvedere.
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