Saint Catherine's Rotunda in Znojmo (Czech Republic)

Already in the Bronze Age people lived in the territory of Znojmo. And even then, a non-surviving building stood on the site of the rotunda, which probably had a sacred significance. The rotunda was built in the forecourt of Znojmo Castle. Forburg was built at the beginning of the 11th century, from 1019, when the Přemyslid dynasty conquered Moravia, to 1037, during the reign of Bretislav I. The Rotunda was the castle's chapel, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, as determined by a Latin inscription, discovered during the restoration of the rotunda in 1949. The original rotunda could only have been built in the second half of the 11th century, when Moravia was divided into three specific principalities (Brno, Znojmo and Olomouc). Its first mention dates back to 1100, when Duke Borzhivoj II celebrated his wedding here. At the beginning of the 12th century, probably around 1134, on the occasion of the wedding of Duke Konrad II of Znojmo with Maria, the daughter of the Serbian prefect Uroš I Vukanović, the rotunda was rebuilt and its spiritual patron was replaced by St. Catherine, frescoes appeared.

A small, simple, well thought out and detailed model, ideal for a beginner modeler, working with a more experienced colleague. The most difficult part, as in many models of sacred architecture, will be the production of the domed roofs of the building.