History

The oldest mention of Siecieborzyce, from 1273, is related to the excommunication imposed by bishop of Wrocław Tomasz II on the local parish priest named Jan. The church was erected in the second half of the 13th century. In the 14th century, a tower, a sacristy, and a porch were added to it. Approx. in 1508, the flat ceiling over the nave and the barrel vault over the chancel were replaced with brick vaults. Probably also at that time, most of the windows openings were enlarged and the façades were plastered. In 1905, the church was regothicised. At that time, painted decorations on the vaults were created, among other things.

Description

The church is located in the central part of the village, at the junction of roads from Chotków, Borowe and Witków, on a small hill surrounded by a 16th-century stone wall with a gate house on the south. The church was designed as an oriented, single-nave structure. It was built on a rectangular floor plan, with a narrower chancel with a straight ending section, a sacristy added from the north, a porch from the south, and a tower added on the western side. Both the nave and the chancel, lower than the nave, are covered with gable roofs with stepped gables. The northern annex is covered with the extended plane of the chancel’s roof. The gable roof of the porch is topped with a volute-shaped gable. The cuboidal tower, which is buttressed at the corners, is covered with a hip tented roof. The church is made of stone, its roofs are clad in beaver tail tiles forming a “lace” pattern, except for the tented roof of the tower, which is clad in sheet metal. In large sections, the façades are without plasterwork and partitioned with window and door openings. The windows are splayed and topped with pointed and segmental arches. Two stepped pointed-arch portals have survived. The interior is covered with a lierne vault, the chancel - with a stellar vault, the sacristy - a diamond vault, and the porch features a cross-rib vaulting. On the vaults, there are surviving neo-Gothic painted decorations from 1905 made by Joseph Langer who had surveyed the church earlier and discovered three layers of painted decorations from an earlier time (Gothic and Baroque). The historical fittings include: Baroque altarpiece from 1661 with a painting of Resurrection in the top section, Renaissance ambo from 1588 with painted decorations, stone epitaphs from the 2nd half of the 16th and from the 17th century, dedicated to the owners of Siecieborzyce - members of the Knobelsdorf family, as well as Gothic door with iron fittings.

Limited access to the historic building. Viewing of the church interior is only possible by prior telephone arrangement.

compiled by Anna Jackiewicz, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Zielona Góra, 17-12-2014.

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, t. 2: Powiaty: żarski - żagański - nowosolski - wschowski, Zielona Góra 2012, s. 151-153.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warszawa 2006, s. 767-768