History

In 1683, a group of Polish Protestants came to Sulechów to protect themselves against the Counter-Reformation. The group was led by brothers Stanisław and Mikołaj Latalski. A Calvinist colony was established on the castle premises, outside the walls. They built their own church, situated in the grounds of the castle, in 1752-1765. The works on the interior were carried out until 1779. After the Second World War, the building was used as a Catholic house, then as a community centre. Renovations to the structure started in the 1980s and were completed after a break in 2004-2007. Today, it is used as an auditorium and concert hall of the Community Centre in Sulechów.

Description

The church is oriented and located in the north-eastern part of the town, to the west of the castle, which is connected to it by means of a modern linking section. It represents the sacred architecture of the Late Baroque period.

The structure is built of brick on a rectangular floor plan, with a non-separated chancel and a tower embedded in the western section. The two-storey body of the building is covered with a gable roof with a hip end, while the four-storey tower is covered with a hip roof. The first storey there is topped with a secondary reinforced concrete ceiling, above which there is a faux wooden vaulting (barrel vault). The facades are decorated with lavish architectural detail in the form of cornices, giant order Ionic pilasters, pediments and window sills. The facade of the church is emphasised by a central pseudo-avant-corps, framed by a broken gable, featuring a concave-convex shape, on both sides. The openings are topped with a basket-handle arch. The windows in the shape of standing rectangles on the second-storey level are larger than those on the ground floor. The original decor and fixtures and fittings of the single-nave interior have not been preserved as a result of the post-war adaptations.

The historic site is open to visitors. Viewing of the church is only possible by prior telephone arrangement.

Compiled by Marta Kłaczkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Zielona Góra, 08-10-2014 r.

Bibliography

• Karta ewidencyjna, Zbór kalwiński, oprac. Bielinis-Kopeć B., 1994 r, Archiwum Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Ochrony Zabytków w Zielonej Górze.
• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2011, s. 82.
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, s. 366.