History of the site

The temple, originally of St Mary, was funded by the von Kreckwitz family at the turn of the 16th century. In 1560 the church was taken over by the Protestants, who introduced a number of changes. Among others, they installed double barrel vaults inside. In the 1590s a chancel and a chapel were added to the church at the north end. In 1593 the fixtures and fittings of the church became enriched by a baptismal font and a pulpit. After 1654 the feature returned to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1926, due to poor technical condition, the sacristy was demolished.  

Description of the site

The church of St Martin the Bishop is located at the heart of the village, close to the ruins of the Baroque residence. It is circumscribed by a wall made of fieldstones. The Gothic and Renaissance temple, with a compact and simple silhouette, is oriented towards the east and its walls are made of brick and stone.  The structure was built on a rectangular floor plan, with a visibly accentuated chancel, and features a single nave and three bays. On the north side, at the tower, there is a sacristy, while a chapel is located on the south side. The main nave, the sacristy and side naves are covered with gable roofs clad in roof tiles. The tower dome has a form of a pyramid crowned with a spire with a crucifix. The façades of the bell tower feature rectangular window openings and, in the part below the eaves, paired windows with a brick tracery. The west façade of the tower features a Gothic pointed-arch stepped portal accentuating the entrance to the church. Corners of the bell tower are reinforced with massive brick buttresses. Distinctive elements of the architectural detailing include Renaissance gables of the side nave and of the chancel, with distinctive, extensive volute-shaped copings and a multiplied cornice. The nave is illuminated by two pairs of windows terminating in semi-circles. A vaulted ceiling of the double barrel type graces the interior of the church. The western part of the church includes a choir gallery, while the eastern part - a Renaissance pulpit made of stone, adorned with paintings originating from the early 20th century. The northern wall features an epitaph plaque dedicated to Susanne Magdalena von Schwenitz (who died on 15.03.1708), a polychromed relief presenting St John the Baptist as a child and a painting titled “St Martin handing over a cloak to a beggar” (from the first half of the 18th century).  The chancel features stained glass windows from the late 19th century.

Visitor access. Limited access to the building. Viewing of the church interior is only possible by prior telephone arrangement.

Author of the note: compiled by Piotr Pachut, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra, 05-09-2017

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. 2, Zielona Góra 2012, pp. 344-345.
• Kowalski S., Zabytki województwa zielonogórskiego, Zielona Góra 1987, p. 118.