The structure was regothicised in the years 1884-1888 under the supervision of the architect Joseph Ebers. An impressive Neo-Gothic tower was built then. The church is surrounded by a fortified cemetery established in 1608, with an original wall with embrasures and a visible outline of a fortified tower on the west site.

History

The church in Jaksonów (formerly Jackschoeönau, since 1937 Schwertern) was mentioned in written records for the first time in 1299. The present structure was constructed in several stages. The oldest part of the structure — the chancel — probably dates back to the 15th century. In the 17th-19th centuries, the church was modified and extended many times. In the years 1532-1654, it belonged to Protestants. In c. 1600, a nave and a sacristy were built. George von Sauermann (who died in 1612) and his wife Magdalena, née Sebottendorf, founded a chapel covered with a cross vault, built in 1603 in the corner between the nave and the chancel, and a fortified cemetery, enclosed with a wall strengthened with roundels and decorated with sgraffito, established in 1608. In 1653, the church had painted interior walls and a flat ceiling. There was a tower on one of the side façades. In 1654, the church was destroyed in a fire. The church was reconstructed by 1685; the nave was covered with a flat ceiling and the chancel was covered with a vault. A wood-shingle roof was installed, with a steeple on the east side. In 1775, a Late-Baroque burial chapel was built onto the north façade of the nave, founded by Julianna Karolina von Loos. In the years 1884-1888, the church underwent thorough modifications, carried out according to designs of the diocese architect Joseph Ebers. During the works, the nave was covered with a cross-rib vault and buttresses were added to the façades. A Gothic Revival tower with rich architectural details, covered with a tall, slender, pyramid dome was built on the nave axis on the west side.

Description

The oriented church, surrounded by a fortified cemetery, is located in the central part of the village, on the west side of the main road, on a small hill. Wide, straight stairs, running across the slope of the hill, lead to the church complex from the road. In the western part of the complex, there is a cemetry wall with embrasures, with a visible outline of a roundel. The church is a single-nave building with an individuated chancel part and a tower on the west side. The two-bay nave is covered with Gothic Revival cross-rib vaulting. The chancel has a square floor plan and is covered by a cross vault. A sacristy covered with a barrel vault adjoins the chancel on the north side; on the south side — there is a chapel covered with a cross vault, opening to the chancel with a round-arched arcade. There is a crypt under the chapel. The church is buttressed. The façades are covered with plaster, with pointed-arched window openings. The Late-Baroque burial chapel, built onto the north wall of the nave, has a three-axial façade partitioned by means of Ionic pilasters, with a door opening on the central axis and with shell-shaped niches on the side axes. Above the door opening, there is a large kidney-shaped transom light with von Loos and von Gutsmuth coats of arms embedded in the keystone. On the axis of the main structure, on the west side, there is a four-storeyed Gothic Revival tower having walls faced with clinker brick and decorated with rich architectural details. The main entrance is framed by a portal crowned with a massive triangular gable, surrounding a pointed-arched, splayed door opening, featuring splayed window reveals with richly profiled glazed moulders. The portal has the original double door with decorative Gothic Revival metal elements. Over the portal, there is a richly ornamented rose window. On the other storeys, there are pointed-arched window openings. The original, preserved elements of the church interior include a Baroque wooden baptismal font from 1694, a Gothic Revival ambo, and an organ gallery. The other equipment and furnishings are modern.

The historic monument is accessible. Unrestricted access to the churchyard.

compiled by Maria Czyszczoń, 26-09-2014

Bibliography

• Brzezicki S., Nielsen Ch., Grajewski G., Popp D. (red.), Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warszawa 2006, s. 334.
• Degen K., Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Landkreises Breslau, Frankfurt am Main 1965, s. 109-113.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce. Seria Nowa, t. 4: Województwo wrocławskie, z. 2: Sobótka, Kąty Wrocławskie i okolice, Warszawa 1991, s. 24-26.
• Lutsch H., Verzeichnis der Kubnstdenkmäler der Provinz Schlesien, t. 2: Die Kunstdenkmäler der Landkreise des Reg.-Bezirk Breslau, Breslau 1889, s. 442.