History

The existence of a church and then a parish in Sadków was first confirmed in written sources in 1318 and in 1354. In 1520, the church was taken over by the Evangelical community.

The existing building was erected in the early 17th century as an Evangelical church. Designed as a timber-frame structure, it featured a free-standing, post-and-beam bell tower. The single, open interior space of the church featured a painted ceiling covered with wooden boards, supported by a single, wooden post in the centre. In 1615, the choir stalls and galleries were added. The church was reclaimed by the Catholic community in 1653. Due to its poor technical condition, the church was subjected to comprehensive restoration in the early 18th century. The interiors were renovated, with new painted decorations executed on both the ceiling and the galleries. The façades are believed to have been covered with plaster; subsequent renovation of the façades followed in 1838. In 1855, the roof cladding was replaced, while in 1894 the old, wooden sill plate was replaced by foundations made of brick and granite. In 1897, the northern sacristy was lost to the blaze and was replaced by a new structure on the southern side of the church. In 1902, the bell tower and the roofs underwent renovation works, while in 1965 the church underwent a general restoration. In 1978, the original wood shingle roof cladding was replaced with galvanised steel sheets.

On November 3, 1995 a fire broke out inside the church at night and was only extinguished on the next day. The 17th-century bell tower was completely devoured by the flames, as was the roof truss and cladding of the nave and chancel. The painted ceiling has been partially destroyed by the blaze and what little remained of the painted decorations was subsequently lost as the structure was hosed with water by the firefighters, washing away the paint. In years 1996-1997, the church was reconstructed, with the surviving peripheral walls being stiffened and strengthened using a reinforced concrete frame. The nave was extended by 5.54 metres towards the west, where the bell tower used to stand. The tower itself was replaced by a new structure which rises above the extended section of the nave.

Today, the building serves as a filial church of the parish of the Ascension of Jesus in Jaszkotle.

Description

The church is located in the centre of the village; it is surrounded by an old cemetery. A tomb chapel dedicated to Christoph Carl Sigismund von Rothkirch, erected in 1792, is located in the vicinity of the church itself.

The church was designed as an oriented, single-nave structure with a distinct chancel which features a semi-hexagonal end section. The nave was originally designed on a square floor plan but was subsequently extended in the years 1996-1997 through the addition of an annex which replaces the 17th-century, free-standing wooden bell tower which was lost to the blaze in 1995. A wooden tower reminiscent of the said bell tower rises above the nave annex. A rectangular sacristy adjoins the southern side of the chancel, while the nave is adjoined by a porch with a semi-hexagonal termination. The nave section of the church is covered with a gable roof; the chancel, the southern porch and the modern, western part of the church all feature mono-pitched roofs, while the sacristy and the tower are covered with a mono-pitched roof and a pyramid roof respectively. All roofs are clad with sheet metal. The building is positioned on a brick and stone plinth; the modern, western section of the building is a brick structure, while the chancel and the main body are timber-frame structures with both clay and brick infills; the walls of the church are covered with plaster, with the exception of the plinth.

The interior features an aiseless layout, with all ceilings being clad with wooden boards. The nave ceiling rests upon a sturdy crossbeam supported by a central post. A large, rectangular opening connects the nave and the modern, western section of the church which was added in the years 1996-1997. The surviving period fixtures and fittings include the main altarpiece (ca. 1730), the Mannerist pulpit (ca. 1615), the Renaissance baptismal font (1580) and another baptismal font designed in the Baroque style (1735) as well as a pipe organ casing likewise dating back to 1735.

The church is open to visitors.

compiled by Beata Sebzda, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 27-07-2015

Bibliography

• Degen K., Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Landkreises Breslau, Frankfurt am Main 1965, pp. 84-87.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce. Seria Nowa, vol. IV, issue 2, Województwo wrocławskie, Sobótka, Kąty Wrocławskie i okolice, J. Pokora and M. Zlat (eds.), Warsaw 1991, pp. 86-88.
• Pilch J., Leksykon zabytków architektury Dolnego Śląska. Warsaw 2005, p. 299.
• Prace konserwatorskie na terenie województwa dolnośląskiego w l. 1979-1999, Wrocław 2005, p. 303-304.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 763.