History

The first references to a church in Domanice in written sources date back to the years 1348 and 1374. The existing church was erected in the 2nd half of the 15th century and it was redesigned in the first quarter of the 16th century. In 1664, the building was partially engulfed by the flames, with only the sacristy and the chancel with its vaulted ceiling surviving the disaster. By 1666, the church was already reconstructed, with the owner of the surrounding lands, baron Ludwig Monteveques de Avignon, providing the necessary funds. The church received a new tower topped with a cupola and equipped with a sundial and a pair of bells. The baron also funded the construction of new altarpieces, pulpit, pews, confessionals and paraments.

The church underwent restoration project in 1894 as well as in 1961, 1965-1966, 1980 and 1995 (with the most recent works encompassing the façade plasterwork and the tower cupola).

The church currently serves as a filial church of the parish of St. Stanislaus the Bishop and Martyr in Buków.

Description

The church is located in the northern part of the village, at the top of a hill, and is surrounded by a cemetery circumscribed by a stone wall.

The structure, oriented towards the east, is made of brick and stone, its walls covered with plaster. Designed on a rectangular floor plan, it is a single-nave church with a distinct chancel, narrower than the nave and featuring a rectangular end section (2nd half of the 15th century); the chancel is adjoined by a rectangular sacristy to the north, erected in the 2nd half of the 15th century, redesigned in the first quarter of the 16th century. A quadrangular tower erected between 1664 and 1666, crowned with a bulbous cupola topped with a hexagonal lantern, adjoins the northern side of the nave, which was erected during the same period. It is preceded by a small, square porch which adjoins the western side thereof. The roofs are clad with ceramic roof tiles. The nave and chancel feature gable roofs, whereas the sacristy comes equipped with a shed roof. The façades are topped with a crowning cornice, with the corners of the structure accentuated with decorative plasterwork framing. The tower is adorned with a crowning cornice as well as cornices positioned between its individual storeys, which were design to have a successively diminishing footprint, lending the tower a stepped appearance. The windows of the chancel, nave and sacristy are topped with pointed arches and framed with plasterwork surrounds. The walls of the lower levels of the tower are pierced with slit windows, while those of the uppermost storey are of the paired type, topped with round arches and equipped with louvres. An inscription plaque and a rhombus-shaped panel bearing the coat of arms of baron Ludwig Monteveques de Avignon, who funded the reconstruction of the church, adorn the façade of the tower. 

The chancel features a groin vault; the nave has a flat, beamed ceiling adorned with faux coffered decoration, whereas the sacristy features a vaulted ceiling of the barrel type, with lunettes.

The crypt, equipped with a barrel vault and accessible through a portal surmounted by a split pediment, is located beneath the tower; the doors leading into the crypt is adorned with painted decorations centred around a vanitas theme. The interior of the crypt is adorned with painted decorations portraying Michael the Archangel summoning the dead for Judgement Day.

The church furnishings are predominantly Baroque in style, dating back to the mid-17th century; notable items include the main altarpiece, the side altarpieces and the pulpit. The visitors can also admire the portrait of baron Ludwig Monteveques de Avignon (mid-17th century).

Accessible historic structure.

Complied by Beata Sebzda, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Wrocław, 26 August 2015.

Bibliography

• Lutsch H. Verzeichnis der Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Schlesien, vol. 2: Breslau 1889, p. 173.
• Pilch J., Leksykon zabytków architektury Dolnego Śląska (Lexicon of Architectural Monuments of Lower Silesia), Warsaw 2005, p. 63.
• Słownik geografii turystycznej Sudetów (Dictionary of Tourist Geography of the Sudeten Mountains), vol. 20: Masyw Ślęży (The Massif of Ślęża Mountain). Równina Świdnicka (The Świdnica Plain). Kotlina Dzierżoniowska (The Dzierżoniów Valley), Wrocław 2005, 145, 148.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 241.