History

The church in Biały Kościół, erected in the fourth quarter of the 13th century, was first mentioned in written sources in 1264. It was at that time that the church, erected for the funds provided by Bogusław, the castellan of Ryczeń and Niemcza, received its fixtures and fittings. A baptismal chapel is believed to have existed in Biały Kościół much earlier than that, i.e. somewhere around the year 1200. In 1301, the patronage over the church was granted to Clarisses from Strzelin. In 1552, the church was taken away from the nuns and began serving the needs of the Protestant community, which remained in possession of the church until 1945, save for a brief period between 1698 and 1708, when the church was reclaimed by the Catholics. In 1643 and 1733, the church sustained heavy fire damage. Later on, in 1827, the church was thoroughly redesign, resulting in the demolition of the chancel, the sacristy and the porch as well as the extension of the main body of the church towards the east, where a new chancel having the same width as the nave and featuring a rectangular end section was added. The western portal was also dismantled during the same period. The resulting structure was covered with a new, gable roof. The tower was also extended upwards during that time.

In 1945, the church was destroyed, with all that remained being the stone walls up to the level of the crowning cornice as well as the ground floor section of the tower. The brick chancel walls have also survived intact, as did fragments of the Romanesque architectural detailing.

In the years 1985-94 the church was rebuilt under the supervision of Jerzy Rozpędowski, with the renovation works being preceded by a period of architectural research conducted by Tadeusz Kozaczewski. The original, Romanesque outline was recreated using the surviving peripheral walls, with the geometry of the church and tower roofs being likewise based on the original designs. The outline of the eastern, 19th-century part of the church was retained. The porch and the sacristy were modern additions. A false wooden barrel vault was constructed above the nave. The chancel and the organ gallery also received new, vaulted ceilings.

Today, the building serves as a filial church of the parish of St Martin in Nowolesie.

Description

The moated manor house, maintaining spatial links with the nearby manor farm, is located in the centre of the village, preceded by a two-span brick and stone bridge which spans over the moat.

The church is located in the middle of the village; it is surrounded by a cemetery circumscribed with a stone perimeter wall featuring a western access gate topped with a round arch.

Initially a Romanesque structure, the church was reconstructed in the years 1985-94 after it had been partially obliterated during the war. It is oriented towards the east, its walls made of Strzelni granite and brick. Parts of the walls are covered with plaster. Designed on a rectangular floor plan, this single-nave church features a narrower, rectangular chancel adjoined by a two-storey annex to the north, its ground floor level serving as the sacristy, with residential facilities located directly above. The western façade of the main body is preceded by a rectangular porch. The nave and the western porch are covered with flattened gable roofs; the chancel and the sacristy feature a multi-hipped roof, whereas the tower is crowned with a tall hip roof with an extended ridge. The windows come in different shapes and sizes; some feature pointed or round arches, while others are completely rectangular. Some windows are framed with plaster surrounds.

The chancel features a barrel vault, while the nave has a false barrel vault made of wood. The porch on the tower’s ground floor level features vaulted ceilings of the barrel type, with a gallery positioned directly above; both the porch and the gallery open up towards the nave through arched openings. The architectural and sculptural remnants of Romanesque stonework decorations from the western portal and the original gallery have been embedded in the walls or used in the course of construction of the stone main altarpiece and of the western porch. The porch also harbours a Gothic baptismal font from the 14th-15th century, made of granite and moved here from Nieszkowice in 1993. The second, 18th-century stone baptismal font is located in the nave.

A lapidarium can be found in the cemetery area, housing a collection of headstones and inscription plaques as well as fragments of old tombs, dating back to the period from the 16th to the 19th century. In addition, there is also a single column shrine.

The historic monument is accessible to visitors.

Compiled by Beata Sebzda, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 21 April 2015.

Bibliography

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