Jesus Church in Cieszyn

Jesus Church at Plac Kościelny 4 in Cieszyn is the largest Evangelical church in the Cieszyn diocese and in Poland. It was built as a church of grace after the Altranstädt Convention of 1707. It has 3,500 seats and can hold about 7,000 people in total.

Why a church of grace was built

The convention was concluded by the Lutheran King Charles XII of Sweden and the Catholic Emperor Joseph I of Habsburg. It allowed Protestants in Silesia to build six churches of grace, and of these only the one in Cieszyn has survived to this day as a Protestant church.

The founders were Erdmann II Promnitz of Pszczyna, Juliusz Gotlieb Sunnegh of Bielsko and Wenceslas Louis von Henckel of Bogumin. The imperial envoy's permit was issued on 24 May 1709, and the foundation stone was laid on 13 October 1710. A quickly built wooden church came first and served for another 13 years, followed by the brick church, built under the direction of the Opava architect Jan Haüsrucker. The building took on its present, almost unchanged form after the tower was added in 1772.

For several decades it was the only Lutheran church within a radius of more than seventy kilometres, hence the name “Mother Church”. Worshippers came to services from Moravia, Opava Silesia and other parts of Upper Silesia.

What the church looks like

It is late Austrian Baroque: a five-aisled basilica on a Greek cross plan with a semicircular chancel. The tower is 75 metres high and has a greenish onion-shaped cupola, and the entrance portal is decorated with a relief of the Lamb.

Inside, the three tiers of galleries, called pawłacze in Cieszyn, draw the eye. The pews are arranged around the pulpit, because in an Evangelical service the most important part is the proclamation of the Word. The Baroque altar of 1767 was made by the Cieszyn sculptor Józef Pracker, who also made the pulpit. The altar holds a painting of the Last Supper from 1766, a copy of a 16th-century work. Beside the altar stands a copy of a bust of Charles XII, a gift from Swedish Protestants in 1935.

The choir loft holds an organ by Oscar Walcker of Frankfurt from 1923, with 2,076 pipes. According to the description, it is the largest organ in Cieszyn Silesia.

What is next to the church

Next to the church lies a former Evangelical cemetery that now serves as a park, with trees protected as natural monuments. Here too stands the “old pajta”, a former Evangelical school from 1725, and the building housing the Tschammer Library, which has more than 17,000 volumes, including early printed books and several incunabula.

Nearby are Cieszyn Town Hall (about 400 metres away) and, not far off, the Printing Museum in Cieszyn.

Practical information

• Address: Plac Kościelny 4, Cieszyn.
• The church is listed in the heritage register, with a register dating of the 18th century.
• It is an active church of the Evangelical-Augsburg parish. Check with the parish before your visit for the hours when the interior can be seen and the rules for entry during services.