“Betania” Pentecostal Church Congregation in Katowice

The chapel of the “Betania” Pentecostal congregation at ulica Gliwicka 267 in Katowice-Załęże stands out for its form: it is built on a circular plan 40 m in diameter and is covered by a dome that in 2013 had the largest diameter in Poland and was the third largest in Europe. It was built from 1989 to 1997.

How the dome was built

The dome is bowl-shaped, with a diameter of 39.6 m, and rests on a rotunda 8.5 m high, which has two storeys. The chapel was designed by Kazimierz Poniatowski. Construction began in October 1989, and the dome was placed on the upper ring of the rotunda in November 1993. In June 1994 inflating it began, in January 1995 work started on the interior, and the first service in the main hall took place in December 1997.

Before construction the ground was tested in 25 boreholes. Earlier, before the Second World War, there had been an open pit here where sand was extracted. The pits left after it, with water reservoirs, were filled in in 1945.

The “Betania” community

The congregation belongs to the southern district of the Pentecostal Church in Poland. The application to register the congregation in Katowice was submitted in December 1973, and the community has operated as an independent congregation since 15 June 1976. By the end of 2023 it had 261 baptised members. Besides the main hall, the building has catechetical rooms, a library, a bookshop and a fireside room. The congregation runs a choir, music groups and a Royal Rangers scout group.

Nearby

From Załęże it is close to Chorzów, where the Silesian Zoological Garden and the Silesian Park are located.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Gliwicka 267, Katowice-Załęże.
• This is an active house of prayer. Check with the congregation about entering the interior and service times, because the chapel is not a museum.
• The dome can be viewed from the outside.