Description

It was originally thought that the Romanesque presbytery was closed on the eastern side with a straight wall, which was the most common solution for this part of the building in Cistercian churches. However, archaeological and architectural research carried out inside the present presbytery of the Kolbata church in 1971, has shown that before the 14th century rebuilding, this part of the church was closed with a semicircular apse. A relic of this former solution are both walls of the first presbytery bay from the west, pierced with small Romanesque windows and topped with an arcaded frieze. In the 14th century, the Romanesque apse was demolished and replaced by a two-bay Gothic chancel closed with a three-sided apse. The completion of the presbytery part of the church dates to 1347. It was then, on 7 July, that the church was consecrated by Bishop John of Stone and a number of lay dignitaries. The glazed walls of the new presbytery are pierced by large Gothic windows divided by a cascade. In spite of the sparseness of the details, the careful elaboration (such as the carefully profiled window frames) draws attention.