A Gothic temple is located within the old town walls, in the south-western part of the former old town development. The main body of the church was redesigned multiple times, but the feature represents an important element in the spatial layout of the town.

History

The Gothic church was erected in the late 13th century or in the early 14th century. The first written mention about the feature comes from 1311. The funding of the temple is attributed to the Duke of Żagań and Ścinawa - Przemko. At first, the patrons of the church were St Nicholas and St Giles. In the 15th century the building was remodelled. The chancel and the tower are the oldest medieval parts that have survived. Between 1539 and 1668 the temple was used by the Evangelical Church. In that period the church naves were extended northwards. During the Thirty Years’ War in 1631 the church was burned down and remained in ruins until 1672. Subsequent multiple reconstructions and renovations of the temple were triggered by fires consuming the building or by attempts at keeping track of the architectural trends.  The temple was redesigned in, among others, 1679, 1723 and 1724. During the acts of World War II the church tower suffered damage. After 1945, the building was taken over by the local Catholic community and adapted to follow the applicable liturgical canons. In place of the cupola from the 18th century a new conical roof was laid. In the following years, at the efforts of subsequent parish priests, the temple was renovated and modernised. The most recent major renovation took place in 2006, during the vicarage of Rev. Marian Kot. It was then the church façades were renovated. The Gothic temple is a significant element of the ecclesiastical architecture found in the territory of the Żary District.

Description

The parish church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Przewóz is situated at 10 Krótka Street, within the old town. The church is located on a large plot that is partially circumscribed by a plastered wall with a gate. To the west of the church, there is a parsonage house. The area in front of the church is partially lined with paving stones and partially overgrown with decorative plants. A wooden crucifix stands in front of the church. The temple in Przewóz is a building made of brick and stone, plastered, featuring three naves and a chancel with a pentagonal end section. A square tower adjoins the chancel on the north side, while at the south end there is a sacristy. The main body of the temple is covered with a hip roof (multi-hipped on the east side). The façades are pierced by elongated window openings, terminating in a semicircle and of different sizes and proportions. The chancel façades are supported by buttresses covered with drip cornices. The interior of the three-nave temple is partitioned by two rows of wooden pillars supporting the ceiling. The original fittings and décor of the temple have survived. The church fixtures and fittings include, among others, a Baroque main altar, a pulpit and a baptismal font, plus two stained glass windows from 1906, made in one of the workshops located in Wroclaw.

The church is property of a religious community. It celebrates regular masses. It is open to the public.

Author of the note Krzysztof Słowiński, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra, 15-11-2017

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. II, Zielona Góra 2012, p. 48;
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, p. 295;
• Kowalski S., Zabytki województwa zielonogórskiego, Zielona Góra 1987, p. 169.