Parish Church of St. Lawrence - Zabytek.pl
Address
Wierzch, 1
Location
woj. opolskie, pow. prudnicki, gm. Głogówek - obszar wiejski
Of particular interest is the cast-iron grave plaque dating from the 16th century.
History
The origin of the parish in Wierzch goes back to the second half of the 14th century. The form of the masonry church, which was erected in the second half of the 16th century and demolished around 1900, leaving only the tower, is unknown. A new main body was added in 1900-1904.
Description
The church is located on a hill in the northern part of the village. Together with a small cemetery, it is surrounded with a brick wall topped with a later Renaissance attic.
The Renaissance Revival church, which is built of brick on a cross floor plan with a chancel closed off on three sides, is covered with a gable roof. To the west, it adjoins a tower of the previous Renaissance church, which is square in shape and turns into an octagon in the upper parts; the tower is topped with a Baroque cupola. The plastered façades with frame-like divisions are lavishly decorated with brick architectural detail and topped with a sgraffito frieze. The roof cladding is made of two-coloured glazed tiles arranged in geometric patterns. The tower made of brick and stone has seven storeys and has retained its original windows and embrasures. The ceramic portal decorated with a mosaic was created along with the current main body of the church. The façades feature embedded Renaissance grave plaques with figurative depictions: a rare cast-iron plaque depicting Susanna Bohdanowski v. Slimakow, died 1571, and bearing an inscription in the Czech language. Stone epitaphs are dedicated, among others, to Georg Strzela v. Dielaw (died before 1595) and his wife Anna Lesotowna (died around 1600), and bear the Odrowąż coat of arms and an inscription in the Czech language. The remaining plaques date from the 17th (heraldic cartouche with an inscription) and 19th centuries. The last epitaph of a knight, who died around 1600, is located on the church fence.
The church is in use and is open to visitors.
compiled by Joanna Szot, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Opole, 21-10-2014.
Bibliography
- Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, vol. VII: Województwo opolskie, issue 12: Powiat prudnicki, prepared by T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki, Warsaw 1960
- Lutsch H., Verzeichnis der Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Schlesien, Bd. 4: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Reg.-Bezirks Oppeln, Tl. 2, Breslau 1894.
Category: church
Architecture: Renaissance
Building material:
brick
Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records
Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_16_BK.20650, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_16_BK.22035