Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Imielin

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Imielin is a neo-Gothic church of blocks of Silesian dolomite, built in 1909-1912 and extended after the war to its present size. It stands in the town centre, next to the parish cemetery.

How the church in Imielin came about

Until the end of the 18th century Imielin belonged to the parish in Lędziny, and from 1801 to the parish in Chełm. In 1911 a “lokalia” was established here, that is, a pastoral centre partly dependent on the mother parish. The first design for the church was rejected by the parish council in Chełm, which held that a branch church could not be larger than the mother church. The design by the Katowice architect Max Giemsa was accepted. Construction began in June 1909, the foundation stone was blessed in July of the same year, and the finished building was consecrated on 29 September 1912 by Fr Jan Kapica, dean of the Mikołów deanery. An independent parish in Imielin was created only in 1925.

Extension after the war

The church soon became too small. In 1938 a design for an extension was approved, but the plans were interrupted by the war. In 1943 a gale brought down the turret for the sanctus bell, and in 1945 military action damaged the roof, a pillar and almost all the windows. A new extension design was prepared in 1947 by the architect Jan Kapołka. The work lasted from 1948 to 1953, and during construction services continued to be held in the old part. The extension, still unfinished, was consecrated on 21 March 1953. The tower was built higher in 1958-1960.

Architecture and furnishings

The three-nave church is oriented and refers to Vistula Gothic. On the west side it has a tower crowned with a tower roof, and the symmetrical, single-axis façade is decorated with numerous pinnacles. Inside there is an organ of very good quality, the altar was made by Professor Adam Lisik, and the stained glass was designed by Wiktor Ostrzołek.

The surroundings of the church

In 1914 a cemetery with a mortuary was established next to the church, and a bell tower was added by the mortuary in 1985. The fence with statues of St John the Baptist, St Stanislaus and St John of Nepomuk was built in 1980-1984. In 1975 a horizontal sundial designed by Tadeusz Przypkowski was built next to the church, and in 1977 a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Practical information

• Parish church in Imielin, Lędziny deanery, Archdiocese of Katowice.
• Visiting the interior depends on the services. The times are given by the parish.