The temple is located outside the ring of former town walls, to the north-west of the market square. The feature represents an important element in the spatial layout of the town.

History

The current filial church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Żary was built in the area of a former leprosarium in Przedmieście Górne, in place of a chapel of St Fabian and St Sebastian that had existed until 1551. The church was funded by David and Dorothea Kretschmer in 1563 and was there to serve as a graveyard chapel. In 1873 the feature was taken over by the Lutherans and was used as a Lutheran church. In the early 20th century, on the south-east side of the church, a two-storey building was added, which most probably functioned as a sacristy and a chancel, while the upper storey served as a pastor’s apartment. After World War II the church was used as a gym. After the church was taken over by the Catholics in the 1950s, major renovation was carried out. In that period the following works were performed, to name a few: replacement of roof tiles with sheet metal, addition of a porch, reinforcement of the foundations and installation of vertical insulation. In 1988, at the efforts of Rev. Tadeusz Kleszcz, the feature regained its ecclesiastical function, which it has continued to serve to date.

Description

The filial church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Żary is located at 13/14 Inwalidów Square, outside the old town area. The church is situated at the east end of the square,

on a small elevation encircled by a cast iron fence driven into a brick base.  The area in front of the church is partially lined with granite paving stones and partially overgrown with grass. The church is a brick building with plastered walls, set on a rectangular floor plan. The chancel and the sacristy are located in the two-storey building on the south-east side. The body of the building is covered with a double-pitched roof. The body of the nave and the porch is covered with a gable roof. A stepped gable separates the main body from the porch. The porch is topped with a gable accentuated by volutes. The façades are pierced with rectangular window openings with strongly splayed reveals on the outside. The church is accessible through a rectangular door opening with a modern two-wing door joinery. Diversified architectural details are found on the façades, in the form of, among others, a plinth, pilasters and cornices. The interior of the church is covered with a flat vault with additional wooden boards; the chancel additionally includes a suspended panel ceiling. The original fixtures and fittings of the temple have not survived.

The church is property of a religious community. It celebrates regular masses. Viewing of the church is only possible with the consent of the parish priest.

Author of the note Krzysztof Słowiński, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra, 15-11-2017

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Szlakiem zabytkowych miast. Przewodnik po południowej części województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2005, p. 110;
• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. II, Zielona Góra 2012, p. 22;
• White record sheet: Kościół parafialny p.w. Matki Boskiej Różańcowej w Żarach, prepared by Wanda Janowska, study of 1999, [in] Archives of the Regional Monument Protection Office in Zielona Góra.