History

Written records mentioned a local parish for the first time in 1306. The chancel, the sacristy and the foundations of the first bay of the nave positioned south of the chancel itself were erected in the first half of the 14th century; however, the vaulted ceiling has not been completed at that point, with only certain preparations for its construction being made (sockets in the walls in which parts of the structure would later be anchored). Approximately around 1450-1460, a painted triptych depicting a Crucifixion scene was installed in the church; today, this triptych can be admired at the National Museum in Warsaw. The church was taken over by the Protestants around 1534. Towards the end f the 16th century or in the early 17th century, a wattle-and-daub nave and porch were built; the chancel received a wooden, painted ceiling with stencilled animal and foliate motifs. A vaulted ceiling of the barrel type and a patrons’ gallery on the first floor level were added inside the sacristy. In the first quarter of the 17th century, the nave received its painted decorations. 1725-1726 a steeple was added, designed to perform the role of a belfry. It was subsequently subjected to renovation works along with the roof truss; the southern porch was also added at that point in time.

In 1945, the church was severely damaged. In 1956, the church was taken over by the local Catholic parish, allowing the reconstruction of the building to begin. In 1958, a new roof above the chancel was constructed, while in 1962 a new nave – a masonry structure designed by F. Kozakiewicz – was erected on the spot of its predecessor, which was damaged beyond repair. In 1982, the steeple was reconstructed, although the shape of its cupola was modified compared to the original; in 1987, the chancel and the nave received a new, flat ceiling.

Today, the building serves as a filial church of the parish of the Holy Cross in Małujowice.

Description

The church is located in the middle of the village and is surrounded by a cemetery circumscribed by a wall made of stone and bog iron ore.

The church is oriented towards the east. It is a single-nave structure with a Gothic chancel featuring a semi-hexagonal end section, its walls reinforced with buttresses. The nave, designed on a rectangular floor plan, was erected in 1962. An elongated sacristy with a barrel vault adjoins the northern side of the chancel. The former patrons’ gallery above the sacristy originally opened towards the chancel through a series of arches, which were subsequently bricked up. The plinth and the lower part of the chancel walls are made of bog iron; the rest of the structure is made of brick, with partially vitrified bricks with a glazed surface used to create decorative patterns.

The nave and the chancel with sacristy are covered with tall roofs of the gable or multi-pitched type, clad with wood shingles. Above the chancel rises a wooden steeple with a tented roof, topped with a wind vane bearing the date “1864”. The west gable of the chancel is adorned with a trio of pointed-arch blind windows; the gable wall shows traces of preparations made during the medieval period for the construction of the nave in the form of empty slots. The windows of the chancel are topped with pointed arches and adorned with tracery.

The church interior follows an aisleless layout; both the chancel and the nave feature a modern, flat ceiling. The surviving traces of the original décor include the tomb effigy from the Renaissance period (1546) as well as two epitaph plaques: one dating back to the year 1618 and designed in the Mannerist style, the other bearing the hallmarks of Baroque design (1675).

Accessible historic structure.

Complied by Beata Sebzda, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Wrocław, 23 April 2015.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce. Seria Nowa (Catalogue of Art Monuments in Poland. A New Series), vol. 4: The Wrocławskie Voivodeship, Journal 4: The Oławski District, Warsaw 2013, pp. 28-30.
• Pilch J., Leksykon zabytków architektury Dolnego Śląska (Lexicon of Art Monuments in the Lower Silesia), Warsaw 2005, p. 73.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 255.