Church of St James the Apostle in Krzepice

The Church of St James the Apostle in Krzepice is a Gothic church founded by King Casimir III the Great, according to the heritage register dating from the 14th century. Today, after Baroque rebuilding, it is a parish church in the Krzepice deanery of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa.

Gothic and Baroque

The church was repeatedly damaged by fires and war, and so was often renovated: among other years in 1548, 1620 and 1660. The fundamental change in its appearance came in the 17th century, when the church was raised and enriched with Baroque elements. The starost of Krzepice at the time was Mikołaj Wolski, a courtier of Sigismund III Vasa and Grand Marshal of the Crown. The result is a combination of late Gothic with early modern motifs.

Chapels and the painting

Around 1620 the chapel of Christ Crucified, known as the Łaszewski chapel, was added on the north side, with a late Baroque altar from the 18th century. Around 1660 a symmetrical chapel of St Joseph was added on the south side, a votive offering for deliverance from the plague and the Swedish Deluge. In the high altar hangs a painting of Our Lady of the Rosary of Krzepice, crowned again in 1993.

Organs

The church has two instruments. The one in everyday use was built in the 1950s by the firm Truszczyński of Włocławek. The other is a historic positive organ from the 18th century, which came here after 1824 from a wooden church burned down that year.

Nearby

Not far away, in the same town, is the Chmielarski Brothers Regional Museum in Krzepice. It is also worth seeing the former Synagogue in Krzepice.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 1, Krzepice.
• A working parish church; check with the parish whether visiting is possible.