It is commonly known as St. Gotthard's Rotunda, although the rotunda is only part of it. However, it is the most important and unique part. Only a few Romanesque churches built on a circular plan have survived in Poland (Cieszyn, Chełmno, Stronia). All of them are connected with the beginnings of Polish statehood and Christianity in Poland.
The rotunda in Strzelin is the oldest building in the town. It was probably built in the first half of the 12th century. It was a rotunda with a horseshoe-shaped apse on the east side and was built of broken granite, i.e., stone that is still quarried in Strzelin. It was first mentioned in 1233 and again in 1300. The lower parts and portal of this Romanesque building have been preserved to this day.
At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, the apse was demolished and a northern nave covered with a gable roof was added to the rotunda, and the rotunda itself was converted into a bell tower. In 1470, a south nave was added parallel to the north nave. Around 1800, the rotunda was raised by one octagonal floor and covered with a pyramidal dome. It is now a two-nave church with a rotunda on the west wall of the north nave. These naves are two-nave, covered with cross ribbed vaults, and the windows in the naves are pointed arches with Tracery. There are Renaissance and Baroque tombstones and epitaphs in the wall.
From 1574, this unique church served the Lutherans. In 1698, the Catholics regained it and it belonged to the Augustinian Order, but only until 1709, when it became Protestant again. Before World War I, services were held there in Polish. For this reason, it was called the "Polish church." During World War II, it was severely damaged and was not used for a long time. In 1992, it was restored for worship, given its current decoration, and became a branch church of the Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Strzelin. It is open to the public on selected days.
The rotunda in Strzelin is the oldest building in the town. It was probably built in the first half of the 12th century. It was a rotunda with a horseshoe-shaped apse on the east side and was built of broken granite, i.e., stone that is still quarried in Strzelin. It was first mentioned in 1233 and again in 1300. The lower parts and portal of this Romanesque building have been preserved to this day.
At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, the apse was demolished and a northern nave covered with a gable roof was added to the rotunda, and the rotunda itself was converted into a bell tower. In 1470, a south nave was added parallel to the north nave. Around 1800, the rotunda was raised by one octagonal floor and covered with a pyramidal dome. It is now a two-nave church with a rotunda on the west wall of the north nave. These naves are two-nave, covered with cross ribbed vaults, and the windows in the naves are pointed arches with Tracery. There are Renaissance and Baroque tombstones and epitaphs in the wall.
From 1574, this unique church served the Lutherans. In 1698, the Catholics regained it and it belonged to the Augustinian Order, but only until 1709, when it became Protestant again. Before World War I, services were held there in Polish. For this reason, it was called the "Polish church." During World War II, it was severely damaged and was not used for a long time. In 1992, it was restored for worship, given its current decoration, and became a branch church of the Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Strzelin. It is open to the public on selected days.
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