The enormous value of this structure lies in the relatively small scale of alterations in comparison with the condition from the beginning of the 16th century, as well as features being examples of the few remaining building elements characteristic of this region, including a Late-Gothic tower with a belfry and an original, medieval sacristy.

History

The parish church in Bojszów was first mentioned in records in 1447. Preserved to our times, the structure was erected in 1506, which was confirmed by dendrochronological studies carried out in 2005. In 1509, a sacristy was built on the north side of the chancel and in 1545, a tower was built on the west side of the nave. As early as in the 16th century, the church was taken over by Lutherans, who were made to return the structure to Catholics at the beginning of the 17th century. Cloister-type walkways were constructed in the 2nd half of the 16th century or in the 17th century. Over the next centuries, mainly thorough restorations were carried out. During restoration works carried out in 1757 and 1787, a major proportion of the structural components were replaced, including the roof trusses over the chancel and the nave. A tower for a small belfry was built, the window openings in the chancel and in the south part of the nave were enlarged, and new window openings were made in the north wall of the nave. The present bell system was installed in the tower in 1875. In 1880, the still existing music gallery was constructed in the west part of the nave, replacing an older, much smaller gallery, and the ceiling boards over the nave and the chancel were replaced, which resulted in the destruction of the old patterned wall paintings. In 1947, an annex was built onto the north side of the tower. At the beginning of the 1960s, the fencing around the church was replaced, with the south-east gate dating from 1728 left in place. The existing interior wall paintings were done in 1965.

Description

The church is an oriented structure, situated in the centre of Bojszów, at the intersection of Kościelna Street and Szkolna Street, surrounded by a still-used parish graveyard enclosed with a wooden fence with two gates. It’s a wooden log structure with a post-and-beam structured tower. The floorplan consists of a nave on a square plan, a narrower chancel, terminated semi-hexagonally at the east end, with a rectangular sacristy on the north side, and a tower on a square plan, with a rectangular porch on the north side. The solid structure is distinctly divided into the nave part and the chancel part, covered with separate gable roofs, with the roof ridges at different heights. The dominant feature is the quasi-detached, massive tower having inclined walls and a belfry surmounted by a tented roof. The nave and the chancel are surrounded by cloister-type walkways featuring mono-pitched roofs supported by pillars strengthened by diagonally-running beams. The roofs are covered with wood shingles. The upper parts of the chancel and nave walls and the tower, sacristy, and porch were covered with weatherboards, while the logs of the chancel and nave walls below the cloister roofs remained bare. Single rectangular window openings were made over the cloister roofs. A rood beam with a crucifix separates the interiors of the chancel and the nave. Both parts have ceilings with patterned polychrome decoration. 16th century wooden doorframe, topped with a trefoil arch, with doors covered with radially-arranged boards, was built into the north wall of the chancel to lead to the sacristy. There is a wooden music gallery from 1880 in the west part of the nave. It is supported by two profiled pillars, with a three-lateral protrusion on an axis, decorated with painted boards. The passageway from the porch under the tower to the nave is framed by a two-arch, 16th-century wooden portal with 18th-century doors embellished with ironwork. Among the preserved fittings and furnishings of the church, mostly of the Baroque period, are the main altar from c. 1700 with paintings depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit, St Peter, and St Andrew, the left side altar from the 2nd quarter of the 18th century with a painting of Merciful Jesus, the right side altar from 1723 with a painting of St Joseph, and a pulpit from the 2nd half of the 17th century.

Limited access. The church is open to visitors directly before and after the Tuesday Mass.

compiled by Agnieszka Olczyk, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Katowice, 20-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Bojszów. Dawny kościół parafialny pw. Wszystkich Świętych, oprac. B. Kubit, Muzeum w Gliwicach (broszura X GDDK 2012).
• Karta ewidencyjna zabytku architektury. Kościół parafialny p.w. Wszystkich Świętych [w Bojszowie], opr. E. Caban, 1996 r., Archiwum NID.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, T. VI, woj. katowickie, z. 5: Powiat gliwicki, red. I. Rejduch-Samkowa, J. Samek, Warszawa 1974, s. 3-5.
• Kloss E., Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Kreises Tost-Gleiwitz, Breslau 1943, s. 146-149.
• Matuszczak J., Kościoły drewniane na Śląsku, Wrocław 1975.
• Inwentarz drewnianej architektury sakralnej w Polsce, z. 2a: Kościoły na Śląsku z XV i początku XVI wieku (Bojszów, Gliwice, Księży Las, Łaziska, Łącza, Poniszowice), red. R. Brykowski, G. Ruszczyk, Warszawa 2012, s. 29-64.
• Zabytki Sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, red. S. Brzezicki, C. Nielsen, Warszawa 2006, s. 130.