Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Olszyna

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Olszyna is a Roman Catholic parish church in Lubliniec County. The brick church was built in 1886-1888 and in 2004-2015 it was extended with a new wing.

From chapel to parish church

The people of Olszyna originally attended the church in Cieszowa. The village had a brick chapel with a bell, pulled down in 1873. The present brick church was built in 1886-1888, and the local parish was established on 1 August 1926.

Rebuilding and furnishings

In 2004 work began on rebuilding and enlarging the church by adding a left wing. The tower was also raised. The work was completed in 2015, and the original church now serves as a side chapel. The rebuilding was designed by Henryk Dragon, and the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed into Heaven in the chancel was made by Henryk Fojcik. A figure of St Joseph was placed in the tower. Three bells hang in the tower, one of which, from 1948, has been restored.

Grounds of the church

By the church stand a Fatima boulder, a cross with tablets of the Ten Commandments, a wooden wayside shrine of the Man of Sorrows and a Marian grotto. A cross from the old tower spire was placed on a boulder dated 1888, and a separate papal boulder bears a quotation from John Paul II from his pilgrimage to Poland in 1979, calling for strong faith.

Nearby

About seven kilometres away lies the Rajchowa Góra Nature Reserve.

Nearby Cieszowa, where the people of Olszyna once went to church, also has a synagogue.

Practical information

• Village: Olszyna, Herby municipality, Lubliniec County.
• This is a working parish church. Mass times are given by the parish and are worth checking before a visit.