The church and the accompanying rectory form a Baroque church complex.

History

Dzikowiec is believed to have enjoyed the status of a parish village as early as in 1337; however, the first mentions of a village church were only made in 1384. Initially, the church remained under the patronage of the local knights who also owned the surrounding lands; after 1398, the Augustinian monks from Kłodzko were allowed to share the privilege. Approximately in 1560–1588, the Dzikowiec Church was taken over by the Protestants; it was later reclaimed by the Catholic community after 1623. The reinstated Catholic parish was entrusted to the Jesuit Order, which took over the land and privileges previously enjoyed by the Augustinians from Kłodzko. In the first half of the 17th century, the church in Dzikowiec was a small brick building with no tower, the only visible design flourish being the steeple which surmounted its roof. Renovation and, possibly, alteration works were conducted in years 1649 and 1650. Later on, in 1703, major alteration works began, although in the end the remodelling was kept to the necessary minimum. The church received a new flooring made of stone tiles. In 1706, the tower was added, disproportionally wide in relation to the older, narrower main body. In years 1708-1710 the main body was extended upwards, with the chancel and nave now sharing a common roof. A patrons’ gallery was constructed above the sacristy, while the chancel received a new, vaulted ceiling. The alteration works were performed in the spirit of the transitional period between early and full-fledged Baroque, with the silhouette of the church receiving a uniform appearance. The windows of the nave were positioned high above the ground, while the chancel walls were now partitioned with pilasters. Subsequent modernisation works followed in 1792, when a flat ceiling was constructed above the nave and both the façades and the interior being painted white, as the erstwhile aesthetic canon dictated. A Late Baroque porch with a Baroque portal consisting of simple bands of red sandstone was added. The roof of the church and the tower cupola were renovated. The wood shingle cladding was painted red in order to make it appear similar to ceramic roof tiles. Subsequent renovation works were carried out in the Dzikowiec church in the early 19th century and in 1880s. In the early 20th century, a Renaissance Revival, sandstone portal was added to the tower. A rectory designed in the Late Baroque style was erected alongside the church in 1791.

Description

The Parish Church of St. Martin is located in the middle of the village, on a small hill. It is oriented towards the east. It is a masonry structure, its walls covered with plaster. The chancel, narrower than the nave, features a semi-hexagonal end section. The walls of the tall interior of the chancel are divided with pilasters, above which rises a barrel vault with lunettes. The chancel and the nave are separated by a basket-handle rood arch. The nave was designed on a rectangular plan; it is also a tall structure, its windows positioned high above the ground and topped with basket-handle arches. A wooden organ gallery supported with quadrangular pillars is located inside the nave. The organ gallery features a solid parapet made of wood, divided into panels; a fretwork decorative board running beneath the parapet is a clear not towards folk art. The underside of the organ gallery is covered with plaster. The chancel and the nave are of identical height, covered by a common roof. The façades of the main body are topped with a profiled crowning cornice. The tower positioned west of the main body is a four-storey structure designed on a quadrangular plan, its walls pierced with windows topped with round arches. The façades of the tower are partitioned by cornices, with a profiled crowning cornice providing the finishing touch. Above the cornice rises a cupola with a single roof lantern. A portal made of red sandstone, topped with a round arch and surmounted by a cornice segment, can be admired in the ground floor section of the tower. The pedestals and imposts of the portal are adorned by a stylised quoin motif. A two-storey annex with a sacristy and first-floor patrons’ gallery adjoins the northern side of the chancel. A porch with rounded corners adjoins the south façade of the nave, featuring a portal made of simple stone bands and featuring a Gothic Revival door. The porch is covered with a tall roof. The current fixtures and fittings of the church include an architectural altarpiece combining Late Baroque and Early Classicist influences, dedicated to St. Martin and featuring a pair of gated passages (late 18th century, with a 19th century painting) as well as a side altarpiece combining Late Baroque and Rococo elements and incorporating the image of the Immaculata (Michael Ignatz Klahr of Lądek, 1774). Other notable items include another side altarpiece dedicated to the Heart of Jesus and designed in the Historicist style (second half of the 19th century), a Late Baroque pulpit (1795), the Stations of the Cross painted by Knauer of Neisse in 1886 as well as a pipe organ dating back to the late 18th century.

The church is open to visitors all year round; the church interiors may be visited following a prior telephone arrangement.

Complied by Iwona Rybka-Ceglecka, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Wrocław, 31 August 2015.

Bibliography

• Albert F., Der Glatzer Jesuitenbesitz im Jahre 1747, Glätzer Heimatblätter, Jahrgang 13, 1927.
• Albert F., Der Verkauf der Glatzer Jesuittengüter im Jahre 1787/1788, Glätzer Heimatblätter, Jahrgang 16, 1930.
• Brzezicki S., Nielsen Ch., Grajewski G., Popp D. (ed.), Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk. (Art Monuments in Poland. Silesia), Wrocław 2006.
• Kögler J., Historisch-topographische Beschreibung des in der Grafschaft Glatz und zwar im Neuroder District gelegenen Dorfes Ebersdorf von... Am 25. Decebr 1800, Vierteljahrschrift für Geschichte und Heimatkunde der Grafschaft Glatz, Band III, 1883/4.
• Kögler J., Historisch-topographische Beschreibung der in der Grafschaft Glatz gelegenen Herrschaft Eckersdorf von...[1805], Vierteljahrschrift für Geschichte und Heimatkunde der Grafschaft Glatz, Bd. III, 1883/4.