Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

dates back to the 11th century to the reign of

Casimir I the Restorer Casimir I the Restorer (; 25 July 1016 – 19 March 1058), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the duke of Poland from 1040 until his death. Casimir was the son of Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza of Lotharingia. He is known as the Restorer because ...

. It was developed in and ranging approximately from the 11th century until well into the half 13th century and it was succeeded by Polish Gothic architecture. Romanesque style in Poland was preceded by

Pre-Romanesque The Pre-Romanesque period in European art spans from the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom around 500 AD, or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the Romanesque period in the 11th century. While t ...

architecture of the early Polish state. Its prime foundations were the

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, the

Gniezno Cathedral The Royal Gniezno Cathedral (The Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Shrine of St. Adalbert, ) is a Brick Gothic cathedral located in the historic city of Gniezno that served as the coronation place for ...

and the

Poznań Cathedral The Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznań is one of the oldest churches in Poland and the oldest Polish cathedral, dating from the 10th century. It is the oldest historical monument in Poznań. It stands on the island of ...

(later re-built in different styles). Polish Romanesque architecture was influenced by the Polish Pre-Romanesque style. Most of Romanesque buildings in Poland can be found in

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

Kuyavia Kuyavia (; ), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three traditional parts: north-western (with th ...

Lower Silesia Lower Silesia ( ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a historical and geographical region mostly located in Poland with small portions in the Czech Republic and Germany. It is the western part of the region of Silesia. Its largest city is Wrocław. The first ...

and

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

regions. Many Polish Romanesque buildings represent the characteristic

Brick Romanesque Brick Romanesque is an architectural style and chronological phase of architectural history. The term described Romanesque architecture, Romanesque buildings built of brick; like the subsequent Brick Gothic, it is geographically limited to Cent ...

style due to limited stone resources. Majority of these buildings are churches, rotundas and chapels. Most significant Polish Romanesque buildings include the

Collegiate church in Tum The Collegiate Church of St. Mary and St. Alexius () is an Encastellation, encastellated Romanesque architecture, Romanesque church located in the village of Tum, Łódź Voivodeship, Tum near Łęczyca, in central Poland. It was constructed out of ...

St. Nicholas Church in Wysocice St. Nicholas Church in Wysocice was founded in the end of 12th century by Iwo Odrowąż Iwo Odrowąż (died 21 August 1229) was a medieval Polish humanist, statesman, and bishop. Life Iwo was very probably born in Końskie, son of Szaweł Odro ...

, St. Peter and Paul-Collegiate in Kruszwica and the Saint Nicholas rotunda church in

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

Historic Monuments of Poland

A number of Romanesque structures are listed as Historic Monuments of Poland, including: *

Abbey Church, Czerwińsk nad Wisłą The Basilica of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (), informally known as the Abbey church in Czerwińsk nad Wisłą, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolation is a Roman Catholic historical church built in the 12th century. Despite Gothic ...

* Mogiła Abbey in Kraków * Saint Procopius church as part of the Norbertine monastery complex in

Strzelno Strzelno is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The town is located south of Inowrocław. According to the June 2005 Census, the population numbered 22,486. It is located in the historic region of Kuyavia. History Establish ...

Sulejów Abbey Sulejów Abbey () is a former Cistercian abbey in Sulejów, Poland, founded in 1176 by Duke Casimir II the Just. Description The most notable parts of the abbey are: * the Romanesque church of Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury * the Romanesque ...

* Tum Collegiate Church * Romanesque-Gothic Saint George church in

Ziębice Ziębice () is a town in Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies on the Oława River, approximately east of Ząbkowice Śląskie and south of the regional capital Wrocław. It is the seat of t ...

Gallery

File:Cieszyn 9891 crop.JPG, St. Nicholas rotunda church,

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

File:Kapitularz klasztoru w Wachocku.jpg,

Chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

at the Cistercian Abbey in

Wąchock Wąchock is a town in Starachowice County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland, near Starachowice, within the historical region of Lesser Poland. In 2006, it had 2,777 inhabitants. History Wachock received its town charter in 1 ...

near

Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...

File:Kościół w Wysocicach, 20211024 1423 3371.jpg, St. Nicholas Church,

Wysocice Wysocice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gołcza, within Miechów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south of Gołcza, south-west of Miechów, and north of the regional capital Kra ...

File:St Procopius church in Strzelno (11).jpg, Saint Procopius Church,

File:Kruszwica. Kolegiata św. Piotra i Pawła 1.jpg, St. Peter and Paul-Collegiate,

Kruszwica Kruszwica () is a town in central Poland, in the Inowrocław County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It has a population of 9,161 (2010). Initially founded in the 6th century, Kruszwica is the oldest town in the region and features a medieva ...

, Kuyavia File:Kościół św. Jana Jerozolimskiego za murami w Poznaniu 2014.jpg,

Church of St. John of Jerusalem Outside the Walls The Church of Saint John of Jerusalem outside the walls () is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Poznań in western Poland. The original church on this site was built at the end of the 11th century, making it one of the oldest churche ...

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

File:Opatow, kolegiata sw. Marcina 3.jpg, St Martin's Collegiate Church,

Opatów Opatów (; ) is a town in southeastern Poland, within Opatów County in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Province). Historically, it was part of a greater region called Lesser Poland. In 2012 the population was 6,658. Opatów is located ...

, Lesser Poland File:Inowroclaw kosciol NMP.jpg, Holy Name of Mary church,

Inowrocław Inowrocław (; , ) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 68,101 (as of December 2022). It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is one of the largest and most historically significant cities within the historic re ...

, Kuyavia File:Sulejów, kościół, ob. par. p.w. św. Tomasza,XII, XIV, XVIII.JPG, St. Thomas of Canterbury church,

File:Inowłódz kościół s Idziego 08 23.jpg, St. Giles' Church, Inowłódz File:Świerzawa (0046).jpg, Saints John and Catherine church,

Świerzawa Świerzawa (; formerly , ) is a town in Złotoryja County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Świerzawa. It lies on the Kaczawa River, approximately south of ...

File:Kosciol pw sw Jana Chrzciciela w Siewierzu.jpg, Church of St. John,

Siewierz Siewierz is a town in southern Poland, in the Będzin County in the Silesian Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Siewierz. Siewierz is located in Dąbrowa Basin (''Zagłębie Dąbrowskie''), which is part of the historical and geographical region of Less ...

, Lesser Poland File:Church of St. Andrew, 54 Grodzka street, Old Town, Kraków, Poland.jpg, St. Andrew's Church,

, Lesser Poland File:Wroclaw kosciol sw Idziego.jpg, Saint Giles church,

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, Lower Silesia File:Czerwinsk1.jpg, Abbey Church, Czerwińsk

References

11th-century architecture Romanesque architecture {{authority control