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The co-cathedral church of St Hedwig of Silesia - Zabytek.pl

The co-cathedral church of St Hedwig of Silesia


church 16th-17th century Zielona Góra

Address
Zielona Góra, Plac Ks. bp. Wilhelma Pluty

Location
woj. lubuskie, pow. Zielona Góra, gm. Zielona Góra

The oldest temple in Zielona Góra, dating back to the Middle Ages and located within the Old Town.

History

The construction of the first parish church (up to the mid 15th century under the patronage of St Nicolas) took place most probably in the second half of the 13th century. The Gothic temple was erected in the late 14th century or in the early 15th century, perhaps after a fire of 1419. At first, the parish church of Zielona Góra was managed by the priests from Głogów and Żagań. In 1427 the Augustine convent in Żagań took over the patronage from duke Henry IX. From that time until 1544 the monks served as the parish priests. In the years 1544-1651 the temple was temporarily in the hands of the Protestants. Soon after the erection of the church, a tower and a porch (on the south side) were added. In the late 15th century or in the early 16th century the structure was extended by a single-storey annex added to the south wall of the chancel. A chapel with a gallery was arranged in the annex. An Olive chapel was found on the ground floor, while the so-called Polish choir gallery was located on the first floor. Both chapels are covered with stellar vaults that have survived to this day. During the fire of 1582 the church burned down. It was rebuilt in the same shape, only a porch was added on the west side. After another fire (1651) the alteration of the church lasted 25 years. At that time the Gothic windows were walled up and the new semi-circular ones were cut. In the second half of the 18th century a disaster occurred: in 1776 the tower collapsed, destroying a large section of the chancel and the north nave along with vault spans. In the course of a four-year reconstruction the peripheral walls of the chancel were extended upwards, the interior of the church was covered with new vaults and the nave and the chancel were covered with a shared roof. Moreover, the façades were modified and the tower was rebuilt, whereby its height was limited to a half of the height of the older one. In 1832 the tower was extended upwards and obtained a Classicist form. The church of St Hedwig of Silesia has survived until this day in that shape.

Description

The church in Zielona Góra was made of brick and partly of stone. It is a three-nave hall-type building with an elongated chancel terminating in a semi-hexagon. It is covered with multi-pitched roofs in its main part. Shed and gable roofs with pediments were installed over the annexes. The Gothic walls have survived only in the chapel at the chancel. The other ones are rectangular in shape and terminate in a segmental arch. The tower is crowned with a terrace and a dome and adorned with corner pilasters and profiled cornices. Slender windows terminate in semi-circles. The nave and the chancel are covered with double barrel vaults, while the chapel of Our Lady of Ostra Brama is surmounted with a lierne vault. Moreover, a stellar vault rises above the chapel and the Polish gallery, also referred to as the clothmakers’ choir gallery. The vaults in the nave are supported by polygonal pillars. Elements of the historic décor and fixtures and fittings have survived in the church interior: two side altarpieces - of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of St Joseph from the second half of the 19th century, a Gothic revival pulpit from 1859, a choir gallery from 1672 and a pipe organ casing including an organ from 1912, manufactured by “Schlag und Soehne” company based in Świdnica. Moreover, the temple features Late Gothic sculptures of the saints: Hedwig and Anna Samotrzeć from the 15th century and a drawing in black lines from the early 16th century, presenting the Grave of Jesus in Jerusalem. Originally it belonged to the church in Złotnik near Żary. It was removed from the ruins of that building and subject to conservation. In 1998 it was installed in the parish church in Zielona Góra. The walls feature several Renaissance and Baroque epitaph plaques made of stone. The main altar is a contemporary work created by Prof. Leon Torwirt in the 1970s.

The temple is accessible all year round.

Author of the note Dr Krzysztof Garbacz, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Regional Branch in Zielona Góra, 29-12-2017 

Bibliography

  • Bielinis-Kopeć B., Zabytki Zielonej Góry, Bydgoszcz 2010, pp. 29-61.
  • Garbacz K., Zielona Góra. Spacer z przeszłością, wyd. 5, Zielona Góra 2017, pp. 33-36.
  • Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, pp. 423-425.

Objects data updated by Andrzej Kwasik.

Category: church

Architecture: Gothic

Building material:  brick

Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records

Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_08_BK.42416, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_08_BK.212147