In July 2014, research of the Institute of Archaeology in Prague continued in the areas of the Basilica of St Lawrence at Vyšehrad. The research that has provided very interesting information in the area of early medieval sacral architecture was financially supported by the Magistrate of the Capital City of Prague, the royal collegiate chapter at Vyšehrad, Institute of Archaeology of the ASCR in Prague, v. v. i., and the Prague Archaeological Fund. The systematic research of the Institute of Archaeology in Prague, which has been devoted to Vyšehrad in Prague for several decades now, continued this year.
Research again focused on the space of the basilica of St Lawrence in the southern part of Vyšehrad, which has been examined over the past decades. The attention of archaeologists has been focused mainly on the predecessors of the basilica whose remnants were first investigated in the 1930s, but only partially and without the possibility of a clearer interpretation. Thanks to the continuing project of the research of the Vyšehrad monuments, archaeologists have had the opportunity to conduct a revision research project in 2011, based on which the research project of this year’s campaign was prepared.
This year, the existence of an earlier building was confirmed, preserved only in its foundations, which is comparable in size to the episcopal rotunda of St Vitus and St Wenceslas at Prague Castle. The building was constructed on an uncommon ground plan for Bohemia at that time - a square with three apses (a so-called triconch) and based on fieldwork we can date it to the period from the 2nd half of the 10th century to the 1st half of the 11th century.
The construction models could even come from the Byzantine milieu, but the overall evaluation of the original appearance of the building’s structure is a question building on the long-term treatment of the data from the fieldwork. The archaeological find is the culmination of several years of the efforts of the employees of the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Its implementation has been participated in financially by the Magistrate of the Capital City of Prague, the royal collegiate chapter at Vyšehrad, Institute of Archaeology of the ASCR in Prague, v. v. i., and the Prague Archaeological Fund.
Vyšehrad. Ground-plan reconstruction of the pre-Romanesque church. The section of walling found are marked in red. Author: L. Varadzin.
Vyšehrad. Arch of the southern apse of the pre-Romanesque church found under the foundations of the basilica of St Lawrence. View from the southeast. Photo: L. Varadzin.
Vyšehrad. Sections of walling of the pre-Romanesque church under the foundations of the basilica of St Lawrence. View from the east. Photo: L. Varadzin.
20 Aug 2014
Because Katareeya originates from a “third country”, namely, Australia, according to the Czech legislation she is not entitled to healthcare support from the public healthcare insurance.
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