Church of St Anne in Bytom

The Church of St Anne and Divine Mercy is a parish church in Bytom-Rozbark on ulica Chorzowska, built in 1984-1989. It is a modern, octagonal building on two floors.

Construction in the 1980s

Fr Wacław Schenk received permission to build the church and a catechetical house on 7 April 1980. In 1982 Pope John Paul II blessed the foundation stone, a stone from the tomb of St Peter in Rome, which was set in place on 24 June 1984. The design was prepared by the Bytom architect Hubert Wagner. Fr Schenk was killed in an accident on his way to the building site on 29 October 1982. The church was consecrated on 20 November 1989.

What it looks like

The church is free-standing, in the style of contemporary functionalism. The lower floor is occupied by the Church of Divine Mercy, the upper by the Church of St Anne. The structure is reinforced concrete, the walls are brick, the façade is covered in yellow brick, and the interiors are spacious, light and modestly furnished. In the upper church stand three wooden sculptures, Christ crucified above the altar and St Peter and St Anne with Mary and Child on either side of the chancel, the work of the folk artist Stanisław Klupa of Kielce. Next to the church is a free-standing bell tower.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Chorzowska, Bytom-Rozbark.
• This is an active parish church; it is worth checking service times and the possibility of visiting with the parish.