Bartholomew in Głogówek, Franciscan Church in Głogówek, castle chapel in Głogówek, Church of the Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary in Łącznik, and Cistercian abbey in Rudy (Silesian voivodeship).

History

The earliest mention of the church in Maciowakrze dates back to the 13th century. The present church was built according to designs by architect Michał Clement from Krnov in 1772-1773. The illusionistic wall paintings made by Franz Sebastini, church fixtures and fittings and sculptures in the niches in the front façade were also made at that time. In the 1960s, the church underwent renovations which involved repainting the Baroque wall paintings to a large extent.

Description

The church is situated in the middle of the village, on a small hill. It is surrounded by a cemetery with nineteenth-century and twentieth-century gravestones and a plastered masonry fence with a gate on the axis of the church.

The Baroque church was built according to a design by Michał Clement from Krnov as a building oriented to the east in 1772-1773. It was built on a rectangular floor plan with a slightly narrower chancel closed off on three sides and rectangular annexes located to the north and south of the chancel, and one annex located to the north in the second bay of the nave. To the west of it, there is a porch with two annexes included in the main body.

The building is made of brick and plastered, with a separate plinth part and façades featuring framework articulation. The corners between the chancel and the nave have a concave profile. The window openings in the nave and the chancel are surmounted by segmental arches; the annexes are pierced by oval openings.

The west façade of the church is mostly three-axial with a slightly protruding central part. On the central axis, there is an entrance opening topped with a round arch. Above it there is a shallow niche with a mosaic, which is surmounted by a triangular pediment with a coat of arms. At the same level as the mosaic, on the side axes there are niches with semicircular top sections and solid depictions of saints Urban and Augustine. In the upper part, the central axis turns into a quadrangular tower decorated with pilasters and topped with a cupola with concave planes and a bulbous lantern, while the side axes are surmounted by volutes. The body of the church is covered with saddle roofs, while the annexes with multi-faceted roofs.

The interior of the church is articulated with extended pilasters adjoining the walls. The nave of the church is covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, while the chapel and the porch with sail vaults. The chancel features an altar characterised by illusionistic architecture, gates and solid sculptures, and inside the cupolas above the altar there are wall paintings made by Sebastini. Painted decorations are also around the side altars placed next to the rood arch. In addition, the church features paintings with allegories of sacraments made by Sebastini.

In the western part of the church, there is an overhanging choir with a semicircular parapet.

The monument is open to visitors.

compiled by Aleksandra Ziółkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Warszawa, 14-11-2014.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. VII: Województwo opolskie, z. 5: Powiat kozielski, oprac. T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki, Warszawa 1965, s. 36-38.
• Lutsch H., Verzeichnis der Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Schlesien, t. 4: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Reg. Bezirks Oppeln, Breslau 1894, s. 290