Kamień w zabytkowej architekturze Szydłowa

The historical city of Szydłów, located in the southeastern part of the Świętokrzyskie province, has preserved its medieval urban layout. It is surrounded by stone walls, hence the town is named the "Polish Carcasonne”. There are castle remains in the western part of the city. Two monumental objects discussed in the article - defensive walls with the Krakowska Gate and the St. Władysław church were built during the reign of King Casimir the Great. The All Saints Church can be older, because it contains Romanesque features. The time of construction of the castle palace is uncertain but its design may indicate the later period of the reign of Władysław Jagiełło and Anna Andegaweńska. The church and Holy Spirit sheltered-hospital originated in the early 16th century. All these buildings were made of local stone - organogenic-detritic limestones of the Chmielnik Formation (Late Badenian-Early Sarmatian), in the stoneworkers’ language called "Szydłów stone/sandstone”. Architectural details, such as portals, window frames or cornices, were carved from fine-grained limestones, similar to the Pińczów Limestones of Badenian age. The unambiguous lithostratigraphic classification of these stones requires a more datail petrographic research. Despite the Szydłów Limestones, common in Szydłów and its vicinity, were exploited here throughout centuries in many local quarries. It is currently impossible to indicate the local deposit in which the Pińczów Limestones were excavated. It is possible that they were transported from the Pińczów area.