In addition, the church features Baroque paintings exposed in the 1970s depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament.

History

The first mention of the Bierdzany church date from the early 15th century when it was dedicated to St Valentine. The present church was built, as shown by the date imprinted on the base wall and one of the beams of the south transept arm, in 1711. Over three centuries, the church was renovated and refurbished a number of times (1930, 1951, 1970s, and 1980s).

Description

The church stands in the centre of the village, on an irregular plot surrounded by trees, by the road from Opole to Kluczbork and Olesno. It is surrounded by a fence with stone posts and wooden panels. It adjoins Bierdzany Pond from the north.

The church has a wooden log structure, and its tower has a post-and-beam structure. The temple is oriented towards the east; it is built on the plan of the cross with a short, three-sided chancel and a quadrilateral tower on the west. The sacristy extends on both sides of the north transept arm; it has a lodge on the first floor and an annex. The body of the church is covered with a gable roof with a polygonal plane over the chancel and the roofs with slightly lower ridges over the transept arms. Over the crossing, there is a hexagonal turret for the ave-bell. The church tower with tapering walls is divided into three levels, the uppermost of which houses a square chamber. The original tower roof was a hipped structure but it was dismantled during the works in 1930. Today, it is covered with a bulbous cupola with a lantern.

The window openings are of different shapes: with a closed segmental arch, round, rectangular, and slotted in the tower. Around the church at the first-floor level, there is a protruding eave resembling highly reduced walkways in form.

The interior is covered with a flat ceiling. The walls exhibit Baroque paintings with scenes from the Old and New Testament, which back in 1970 were still hidden under oil paint. The most known piece is the representation of the Death of Bierdzany showing death with an hourglass standing in front of a merchant.

The church boasts the original equipment from the 18th century: the main altar with the statues of St Nicholas and St Marcin and side altars: the north one made by Kacper Żołądek of Opole according to a design provided by the founder Anna Justina von Löwencron of Turawa with the statues of St Anthony, St Sebastian, St John of Nepomuk and Roch and the south one with with the statues of St Michael the Archangel St Francis Xavier and St George. Moreover, the church features a Baroque pulpit, baptismal font, confessionals and a set of paintings.

The monument is available to visitors.

Compiled by Aleksandra Ziółkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Opole, 24-04-2015.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. 7: Województwo opolskie, z. 11: Miasto Opole i powiat opolski, Warszawa 1968, s. 45-46.
• Karta ewidencyjna, Kościół parafialny pw. św. Jadwigi w Bierdzanach, oprac. Kowalewski J., Archirum Wojewódzkiego Urzędu ochrony Zabytków w Opolu, 1996.
• http://www.kosciolydrewniane.eu/bierdzany (dostęp: 23-04-2015 r.).
• http://panoramaopolska.pl/artykul/opolskie_na_weekend/27,perla-pod-zielona-farba (24-04-2015 r.).