History

In the 16th century, the cemetery, previously located near the parish church, became too small to satisfy the needs of the local community. The new burial ground was selected probably at the end of the 16th century after the fire of the parish church (1582). The present cemetery church was built in 1705 thanks to the funding of Anna Pietruschka of Oracz. It replaced the earlier wooden church (1615) where prayer serviced had been held for the departed. The church was renovated in 1925 and 2013.

Description

The church sits on an elevation in Piastowska Street in Głogówek. It is surrounded by a fenced cemetery; the fence features classicist gates with semicircular entrance openings topped with triangular pediments. The church is a wooden frame structure with brick infill, plastered, resting on a brick wall base. The nave plan resembles the shape of a square. The chancel is oriented to the south and closed on three sides. A small sacristy adjoins the chancel from the east.

The nave and chancel are covered with gable roofs; at their interface, there is a turret with a lantern supporting a bulbous cupola. In the mid-height of the church walls, there are shed roofs covering the walkways; the shingled roofs also cover the Stations of the Cross. Rectangular windows and doorways. The interior features a wooden beamed ceiling. To the north, there is a choir gallery resting on two pillars, with a convex-shaped balustrade. The interior reveals a set of 17th-century statues: Our Lady and St John from the Crucifixion Group, Pieta, Baroque full-size statues of angels, and the 20th-century crucifix and paintings of 1934 by Hans Breinlinger.

The building is accessible to visitors. Funeral and mourning services are held on a regular basis; the church is managed by the Parish of St Bartholomew in Głogówek.

Compiled by Aleksandra Ziółkowska, National Heritage Board of Poland, Regional Branch in Opole, 6 November 2014 r.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce. Vol. VII: Województwo opolskie, part 12: Powiat prudnicki, eds. T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki, Warszawa 1960, pp. 26-27.
• Lutsch H., Verzeichnis der Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Schlesien. Vol. 4: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Reg. Bezirks Oppeln, Breslau 1892, p. 299.
• http://www.cmentarz.glogovia.pl/index.php?id=historia (6 Nov 2014)