Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bytom

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bytom is a Gothic brick church in the town centre, by the market square. Its history is linked with the miraculous image of Our Lady of Bytom from around 1430. The church is entered in the heritage register.

History

According to tradition the church was founded around 1231 by Henry the Bearded, Duke of Wrocław. From the 1560s until 1632 it belonged to the Protestants. A fire in 1675 destroyed the furnishings almost completely. After the town fire of 1515 the tower, the western part of the building and the side aisles were built by 1530. Further rebuilding took place in 1851-1857, when Neo-Gothic elements were added and the tower was raised, and in 1935-1938. Around 1957 the authorities planned to close and demolish the church because of mining damage, which was prevented by the parish priest Wacław Schenk, and the renovation lasted until 1967. Since 1990 Mass has been celebrated here in German.

Interior

The originally Gothic body has kept part of the nave and the chancel. The high altar holds a Baroque painting of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Francesco Curradi from the 17th century, and in a side aisle there is a painting of the same subject by Bonawentura Emler from the 19th century. In the church you will see a stone font, an 18th-century crucifix by Jan Solski and the burial crypt of the Donnersmarck family. A special place belongs to the image of Our Lady of Bytom from around 1430, painted in tempera on a lime-wood board; after the fire of 1515 it was renovated and figures of St Catherine of Alexandria and St Agnes were added. In 1973, after conservation, it returned to the church. The organ has 44 stops.

Bells

Four bells and two clock gongs hang in the tower. The largest, Rex Gloriae, weighs about 1,700 kg.

Nearby

Close by stands the Silesian Opera building, and a walk can easily be extended to the Franciszek Kachel City Park.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Księdza Karola Koziołka 3, Bytom.
• A working parish church. Information on access is given on the website mariacki.bytom.pl.