History

• 1335 - first mentions of a church in Pszenno
• 2nd half of the 13th c. - construction of the church
• 1491 - extension works
• 1552 (or 1558) - alteration works
• 1834 - fire
• 1838 - 1855 - reconstruction
• 1894 — renovation
• 1968 — renovation

Description

The church is located in the southern part of the village, alongside the main road from Wrocław to Świdnica (DK 35).

The church in Pszenno was first mentioned in written sources dating back to 1335. The current church was constructed during the second half of the 13th century. It was subsequently redesigned in 1491 and then extended through the addition of the southern nave in 1552 or 1558, with the master brickmason Jakub Droschius being responsible for the oversight of the works performed; the vaulted ceilings in the nave and the chancel originate from the same period. In years 1838-1855, the church was rebuilt, having suffered extensive damage during a fire which took place earlier in the 19th century. Further restoration works were also performed in 1894 and 1968.

The church is a two-nave, three-bay structure designed on a rectangular floor plan, its walls supported by buttresses. The original, wider nave currently serves as the northern nave, adjoined by a tower to the west, designed on a square floor plan; following the extension of the church in 1552, the tower appears slightly offset to the north. The chancel is also a two-bay structure, with the original chancel now serving as the northern bay, housing the main altarpiece.

The nave features a cross-ribbed vault, with a groin vault and a cross-ribbed vault being used for the northern and the southern bay of the chancel respectively. The chancel is adjoined by a rectangular sacristy to the north, featuring a barrel vault. A porch - also featuring a vaulted ceiling of the barrel type - adjoins the southern side of the nave. A stone portal topped with a shouldered flat arch leads from the chancel into the sacristy. Another stone portal can be seen in the northern wall of the nave.

The church is covered with a gable roof clad with roof tiles, with the roof ridges above the chancel and the nave being positioned at an equal height. A distinctive feature of the outline of the church is the pointed-arch stepped gable design used both for the eastern and the south-western sections of the building. An inscription plaque referring to the 1552 redesign is embedded in a pillar positioned between the naves.

The fixtures and fittings of the church include the Gothic Revival altarpiece with the painting of St Nicholas, the side altarpieces dedicated to the Holy Family and the Blessed Virgin Mary (2nd half of the 18th century) as well as the Gothic Revival altarpiece of St Joseph. Other notable items include a pulpit and baptismal font from the 17th century as well as the tomb effigies embedded in the walls of the southern bay of the chancel.

Next to the church there is an old cemetery (no longer in use), surrounded by a stone wall designed on an oval plan. Incorporated into its southern section are a structure reinforced with arches as well as a Late Gothic portal above the wicket gate leading into the rectory.

The church is usually closed; it may be viewed from the outside without limitations, while its interiors may be explored before or after church service.

compiled by Krzysztof Czartoryski, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 09-02-2015.

Bibliography

• Zabytki Sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006