History

The origin of the church in Wójcice goes back to the 14th century, when the church was first mentioned. The stone church existing in the village in the early 19th century no longer met the needs of the community; therefore, in 1818 efforts were started to build a new church. A design of the church was developed under the supervision of K.F. Schinkel from the State Construction Commission in Berlin. The foundation stone was laid on 16 April 1823, and the construction was completed in the following year. The church was consecrated after the completion of the work on the interior design, i.e., on 3 August 1825.

The church served as a Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lopatyn. The miraculous painting, which was an eighteenth-century replica of the painting of Our Lady of Częstochowa, was brought to Wójcice in 1946 with the new inhabitants resettled from Lopatyn.

Description

The church is located in the northern part of the village, surrounded by a small cemetery and fenced. The Romanesque Revival church in round-arch style (Rundbogenstil) was built of brick on a rectangular floor plan with an apse to the east and a five-storey tower to the west. The façades are plastered and painted (perhaps the original brick face of the walls was exposed), and feature stepped openings topped with arches.

The present subtle painted decorations of the interiors significantly different as compared to the original multi-coloured decorations in oriental style, which is the result of works carried out in the 1960s/1970s. It is worth paying attention to the baptismal font with a bowl resting on a statue of an angel. The altar of Our Lady of Lopatyn is located in the south-eastern part of the nave.

The oldest gravestones in the graveyard which is still in use date back to the early 20th century, although its origins go back a very long time. The Way of the Cross was founded in the 1970s.

The church is in use and is open to visitors. Information: http://parafiawojcice.pl.

compiled by Joanna Szot, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Opole, 01-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Grundmann G., Schlesien (Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Lebenswerk, Bd. 3), Berlin 1941.
• Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Das architektonische Werk heute/The architectural work today, Hrsg./ed. H. Ibbeken, E. Blauert, Stuttgart/London 2002.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, vol. VII: Województwo opolskie, T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki (eds.), issue 3: Powiat grodkowski, inventory compiled by T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki, Warsaw 1964.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, collective work, Warsaw 2006.