Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wodzisław Śląski

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wodzisław Śląski stands near the market square. It is a Neo-Gothic brick building of 1909-1911, designed by Ludwig Schneider of Wrocław. The tower is 40 metres high, and the church is entered in the heritage register.

Earlier churches

Tradition gives the founding of the parish as 1128, but scholars most often question this account. The parish and the parish church were established around 1257, along with the town's charter. By the mid-14th century the church was already of brick, and around 1528 a new church with a tall tower was built. A town fire destroyed it on 12 June 1822. The old church was pulled down in May 1909.

The present building

Construction began on 26 June 1909, the foundation stone was blessed on 15 August of that year, and the consecration took place on 17 November 1911. The design by Ludwig Schneider, author of St Anthony's Church in Rybnik, provided for a brick body in the Neo-Gothic style, 46 m long and 22 m wide. The interior has ribbed cross vaults, and the nave has six pillars. The axis from the altar to the entrance is slightly bent to the left, which is meant to symbolise the inclination of Christ's head on the cross. During the Second World War the tower was bombed, and a new spire was fitted in 2001. Clock faces can be seen on the tower from four sides.

Furnishings

Above the marble high altar, since 1983, hangs a four-metre painting of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, painted on wood. In the church you will also see sculptures from the 18th century, among them a Crucifixion and a folk Man of Sorrows, a monstrance of 1829 and a reliquary from around 1700. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are done in oils. The organ has 27 registers and was installed in 1912.

Nearby

The church lies a few dozen metres from the Market Square. Right next to it stands the Dietrichstein Palace, and a little further on stretches the castle park.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Kościelna 1, Wodzisław Śląski.
• A working parish church. Arrange a visit to the interior with the parish.