History

A church in Wyszęcice had already been in existence in the 14th century. A parish priest of a local church is mentioned in a document issued in 1366. The original church was most likely a wooden structure. During the period of the reformation, in 1564, the church was taken over by the Protestant community. In the end, the building was demolished in the year 1600 due to its poor technical condition. The current church was constructed in years 1606-1638 at the initiative of Stephan Johann Thader, the erstwhile lord of the Wyszęcice manor, who also provided the necessary funds. The construction was completed in 1638, as evidenced by the date inscribed on the now-vanished rood beam. In 1654, in connection with the Counter-Reformation, the church was handed back to the local Catholic community. In 1886, a circular staircase turret was added in the north-western corner between the tower and the main body of the church. One year later, the façades of the main body were reinforced by narrow buttresses made of clinker brick. In 1888, the design for the current fixtures and fittings, designed in the Gothic Revival style, was prepared, encompassing the main altarpiece, the pews and the balustrade of the organ gallery.

Description

The church is oriented towards the east; it is located in the south-western part of the village, on the eastern side of the road, on a small hill with steep sides.

A Protestant church erected in the first half of the 19th century stood on the southern side of the existing structure until 1945.

The church was designed on a rectangular floor plan with a tower adjoining it to the west, positioned on the middle axis of the building. A circular staircase turret occupies the north-western corner between the nave and the tower. The two-bay nave and the single-bay chancel are of the same width; a sacristy adjoins the southern wall of the chancel. The chancel and the nave feature a vaulted ceiling of the barrel type (with lunettes), adorned with panels graced by decorative reliefs. The chancel and the vestibule occupying the ground-floor section of the tower feature vaulted ceilings of the groin type. The tower, designed on a square floor plan (with the exception of the uppermost storey which is octagonal in shape) features a relatively squat, eight-faced pyramid roof. The west gable of the nave rising on both sides of the tower is a two-storey structure partitioned with pilasters.

The façade of both the chancel and the main body of the church feature tall, narrow window openings topped with segmental arches. The side façades are reinforced with buttresses. The corners of the tower are reinforced with broad, tall, stepped buttresses positioned diagonally and reaching up to the uppermost storey. The façades had once been adorned with sgraffito decorations, although today they feature a simple, smooth plaster finish.

The original fixtures and fittings of the church include a Mannerist pulpit with elaborate sculptural decorations, believed to originate from the circle of the Master of the Dzierżoniów Pulpit.

The pulpit casing is supported by a figure of Moses. The casing itself is adorned with scenes from the Passion of Christ, while the balustrade and the canopy feature figures of the Apostles and symbols of the Evangelists respectively. The coat of arms of the benefactor of the church - Barbara von Thadern née Dyhern, is also displayed on the pulpit. The remaining fixtures and fittings of the church (the main altarpiece, the pews and the balustrade of the organ gallery) are designed in the Gothic Revival style.

The site is open to visitors.

compiled by Maria Czyszczoń, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 08-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Lutsch H., Verzeichnis der Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Schlesien, vol. II, Die Kunstdenkmäler der Landkreise des Reg.-Bezirk Breslau, Breslau 1889, p. 629.
• Pokora J., Sztuka w służbie reformacji. Śląskie ambony 1550-1650, Warsaw 1982.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 1057.