Chapel of the Good Thief in Katowice

The Chapel of the Good Thief is a neo-Gothic cemetery chapel at Gliwicka 32, in the Załęże district of Katowice, right on the border with Śródmieście. It stands at the central point of the cemetery of the parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord and has been entered in the heritage register since 2011.

The cemetery and the Old Catholics

The cemetery was consecrated in November 1860, and in 1871 it was bought by the Old Catholics. The chapel was built in 1875 to a design by the Wrocław architect Alexis Langer. The design also envisaged an arcaded portico in front of the entrance, which was never built. Until 1945 two Old Catholic clergymen, Edward Wolowski and Wilhelm Brożek, were buried in the chapel. From 1927 the cemetery belonged to the Roman Catholic parish, and from 1984 to the parish of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

The dedication to the Good Thief

From the late 1950s to the 1970s Mass was celebrated here. In November 1957 Fr Prof. Remigiusz Sobański gave the building the dedication of the Good Thief. Youth ministry met in the crypt.

Architecture

The red brick building stands on a hexagonal plan with triangular annexes and a semicircular vestibule. The roof resembles a medieval tower and is topped with a cross. The portal and window surrounds are made of light sandstone. The facade is two-storey, with a stone blind arcade above the entrance and an oculus with an eight-petalled rose window. A cylindrical turret adjoins the annex, and the date 1875 is carved above its entrance. The interior is a single space with a cloister vault, and the original furnishings have not survived. The built-up area is 80 m².

Nearby

From the chapel it is less than two kilometres to the centre of Katowice, where the Silesian Theatre and the Cathedral of Christ the King stand.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Gliwicka 32, Katowice-Załęże.
• The chapel stands in an active cemetery and can be viewed from the outside in quiet; arrange entry to the interior with the parish.