Church of St Catherine in Czechowice-Dziedzice

The Church of St Catherine in Czechowice-Dziedzice is a Baroque brick church built in 1722-1729 on the plan of a Latin cross.

Construction and founder

The construction was initiated by Father Walenty Martius and funded mainly by the then owner of the estate, Franciszek Karol Kotuliński. Above the entrance is a semicircular pediment with the Kotuliński coat of arms in a cartouche and the date 1729. The letters on the ribbons of the cartouche stand for the names and titles of the founder and his wife, Maria Antonina von Rottal.

Structure and interior

The chancel faces east and closes on three sides. The interior is single-nave, with a transept with short arms, and the gable roof is decorated with a ridge turret. Above the porch in the west rises a square tower with a bulbous helm and a clock face.

The church has three altars, including an 18th-century high altar with a painting of the Marriage of St Catherine, a Baroque pulpit and a 17th-century painting, the Farewell of Peter and Paul. The organ has 30 stops, two manuals and a pedal, and is used for the liturgy and for concerts.

Wartime destruction

During the Second World War the tower was almost completely destroyed and the roof badly damaged. In 1942 the Germans took away the bells and banners with Polish inscriptions. In 1945 a shell destroyed the vault above the high altar, and a fragment of it was set into the outer wall at the point of impact. Rebuilding began right after the war.

Nearby

About 300 m from here stands the palace in Czechowice-Dziedzice, and about 1.8 km further on the Church of Jesus Christ the Redeemer.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Mikołaja Kopernika 42, Czechowice-Dziedzice.
• The church is in use as a parish church, so access to the interior depends on parish life.