It houses a complex of Renaissance and Early-Baroque tombstones and epitaphs.

History

The existence of the parish church in Chmielów was confirmed by written records in 1353. The present church was erected ca. 1500 in the Gothic style. From the mid-16th century to 1653, it was a Protestant church. Ca. 1670-1680, the building was redesigned in the Early-Baroque style; the original two-bay cross vault of the nave was replaced with a painted ceiling. In 1728, a Baroque tower was erected, a south porch and a sacristy were added (Martin Frantz Junior(?)), the window openings were reshaped, the facades were given new decorations, and the nave was covered with a ceiling with geometrical cove moulding decoration. Also at that time, an organ gallery was constructed, later modernised in ca. 1880 in the Neo-Baroque style. The church was renovated in ca. 1880, in the years 1960-1961 (the floor, the dome), in 1993-1994 (renovations of the facade and painting of the interior), and in 2000 (a new floor). The church is surrounded by a graveyard, established in ca. 1500, enlarged between 1826 and 1936. In 2000, a funeral chapel was erected in its southern part. The parish in Chmielów existed until a rectory fire in 1945.

Description

The church is located in the centre of the village and surrounded by a graveyard, enclosed with a plastered stone wall on the west side and partially on the south side. The church is an oriented structure made of brick and stone, covered with plaster, set on a rectangular floor plan, with a lower chancel terminating in a flat wall. The four-sided tower with a porch on the ground floor is crowned with a decorative one-aperture dome, with a flag with the date of “1728” on it. A sacristy strengthened by two buttresses adjoins the chancel on the north side. By the south wall of the nave, there is a small chapel with a staircase leading to the gallery. The nave and the chapel are covered with ceramic gable roofs, the chancel — with a three-pitched roof, and the sacristy — with a mono-pitched roof. The facades are decorated with frame divisions. The tower, featuring rich architectural details, with large window surrounds, is defined by cornices and pilasters in the giant order, situated at the corners and reaching the second floor level. On the ground floor, there is a portal. The church is an aisleless structure with a one-bay chancel covered with a cross-rib vault. In the nave, there is cove moulding with geometrical decorations, above which there is an Early-Baroque ceiling with painted acanthus decoration (visible in the attic part). The two-bay sacristy is covered by a barrel vault with lunettes. The chancel is separated from the nave by a pointed chancel arch. The entrance to the chapel is marked by a sandstone portal. Traces of the original, two-bay vaulting are visible on the nave walls. The equipment and furnishings of the church is mainly Baroque and Neo-Gothic: an altar from ca. 1728 and 1880, a pulpit from 1607 (which underwent renovations in 1853 and 1880), an organ gallery and side galleries from ca. 1728 (modernised ca. 1880), a Neo-Baroque pipe organ casing from ca. 1880, and two founder’s benches from 1878. In the church, there are whole-figure, Renaissance and Early-Baroque sandstone tombstones with reliefs, commemorating: Niklas von Seidlitz (who died in 1579), Barbara von Seidlitz née von Schindel (who died in the 4th quarter of the 16th century), and Johann von Jaromski (who died in 1664), as well as sandstone Renaissance epitaphs covered with reliefs with human figures, inscriptions, and cartouches with coats of arms, commemorating: Johann von Lembhaus (who died in 1679), Helena von Lembhaus née von Tschirnowitz (1680), Friedrich von Abschatz (1595) and his wife Eva née von Eck (who died after 1595), and Niclas von Seidlitz (1558) and his wife Anna (who died after 1556) from 1559.

The historic monument is accessible.

compiled by Beata Sebzda, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wroclaw, 18-08-2014

Bibliography

• Brzezicki S., Nielsen Ch., Grajewski G., Popp D. (red.), Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warszawa 2006, s. 192.
• Kołaczkiewicz E. (red.), Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce. Seria Nowa, t. 4: Województwo wrocławskie (dolnośląskie), z. 5: Powiat Środa Śląska, Warszawa 2014, s. 35-38.
• Oszczanowska B., Sebzda B., Trenkler D., Studium wartości kulturowych gminy Kostomłoty, powiat średzki, województwo dolnośląskie, Wrocław 2010, s. 40, 41-42 [mps w archiwum Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Ochrony Zabytków we Wrocławiu].
• Pilch J., Leksykon zabytków architektury Dolnego Śląska, Warszawa 2005, s. 45.