Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Katowice

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on ul. Piękna in Katowice's Brynów-Osiedle Zgrzebnioka district is a parish church and at the same time a church-monument to the miners who died during the pacification of the strike at the Wujek Coal Mine on 16 December 1981.

A monument in the form of a church

The initiative to build the church came from Bishop Herbert Bednorz. He obtained permission to build from the Katowice voivode. The foundation stone was laid on 16 December 1986 by Bishop Damian Zimoń, who on the same day also blessed the lower church. Construction work lasted from 1982 to 1989, and the solemn blessing of the whole church took place on 14 December 1991. The design was by the architects Jerzy Kubica and Jacek Machnikowski, the interior decoration was designed by Stanisław Rabaszewski, and the sculptures were made by Stanisław Hochuł.

Interior and mementoes

The Stations of the Cross refer in their themes to the story of the nine murdered miners, and their author is Witold Pałka. In 1995, on the fourteenth anniversary of the pacification, President Lech Wałęsa unveiled a commemorative plaque here which he had funded himself. The historic organ comes from the Brothers Hospitallers' church in Katowice-Bogucice. The indulgence feast falls on the Sunday after 13 September, in connection with the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Piękna 8, 40-591 Katowice.
• Close by lies the Kościuszko Park in Katowice.
• Check service times and whether you can enter the church outside Masses with the parish.