History

The church was erected on the site of an earlier building, first mentioned in written sources in 1294 and lost to the blaze during the Hussite wars; it is believed that the walls of the older church may have been incorporated into the new structure. The chancel was erected in the 14th or 15th century, while the main body and the tower originate from the second half of the 16th century. In the years 1562-1629 and 1634-37, the church served the needs of the Evangelical community. The tower was redesigned in the 18th century, followed by a restoration of the entire church in the Gothic Revival style in 1885; most of the surviving pieces of interior décor and fixtures and fittings originate from that period. The church was subsequently renovated in the years: 1885, 1960, 1967-72 as well as in 2003 and 2005.

Description

The church, surrounded by a cemetery, is located in the western part of the town centre. It is a Gothic hall church oriented towards the east; originally a three-nave structure with a two-bay chancel featuring a rectangular end section, the church now also features a fourth, lower aisle adjoining the southern side of the main body in an asymmetrical manner. The entire structure is covered by gable roofs of immense size. The southern aisle features a mono-pitched roof. A tower, designed on a square floor plan, is positioned on the axis of the church, adjoining its main body to the west and partially embedded in the main body itself. A gallery circumscribed by a balustrade runs around the topmost section of the tower, quadrangular in shape and featuring truncated corners. The tower is topped with a Baroque cupola with a lantern. A pentagonal sacristy covered with a multi-faceted roof adjoins the church to the north. The façades are covered with plaster and feature a number of windows topped with pointed or semi-circular arches and framed with splayed reveals. Some of the detailing and interior décor dates back to the 1885 redesign and exhibits features of the Gothic Revival style. A large collection of epitaph plaques and headstones from the years 1599-1614 are embedded in the outer walls of the church. Inside, a stone portal dating back to the Gothic era can be found inside the porch. The main nave features a stellar vault, while the side naves and the chancel feature barrel vaults with lunettes and a cross-ribbed vault respectively. Galleries can be found in the western part of the church and above the side aisles. The interior fixtures and fittings are quite diverse in appearance, including a Late Gothic side altarpiece dedicated to St Anne (1520, relocated here from Raszów), a stone baptismal font with a wooden lid (from the 1st half of the 18th century), a Rococo pulpit from the 4th quarter of the 18th century, created by Joseph Anton Lachel from Krzeszów, as well as the Gothic Revival main altarpiece and side altarpiece, dating back to the late 19th century Other notable items include an ensemble of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic Revival sculptures from the 18th and the 19th century. The bells inside the tower date back to 1606 and 1639. The church is surrounded by a fence with a number of gates, incorporating parts of the former cemetery wall.

The church may be visited during church service. For more information, please contact the parish office.

compiled by Piotr Roczek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 18-06-2015.

Bibliography

• Słownik Geografii Turystycznej Sudetów. Vol. 8 Kotlina Kamiennogórska. Wzgórza Bramy Lubawskiej. Zawory, M. Staffa (ed.), Wrocław 1997, pp. 144-147, 149-150.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 381.