Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Łącza

Until 1994 a wooden church from the late 15th century stood in Łącza, one of the historic monuments of Upper Silesia. It burned down in January 1994, and a new church with the same dedication was built in its place. The old church is known today from descriptions and rescued fragments of its furnishings, so this place is visited more as a trace of a lost monument.

History of the wooden church

The first mentions of the church date from 1447, from the Peter's pence list of the archdeacon of Opole. It was consecrated in 1490. At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries it was for a time turned into a Protestant meeting house, and from the beginning of the 18th century it was a branch church of the parish in Rachowice. In 1959 a parish was established in Bojszowy, to which Łącza belonged as a branch. The dedication changed: until 1698 St Martin, then St John the Baptist, and from 1929 the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Martin. The whole church was renovated in 1904 and 1906, and the tower a year later.

What it looked like

The church stood on a rise in the middle of a cemetery, in the southern part of the village. It was wooden, of log construction made of round logs, with a square chancel with a sacristy and a post-built tower covered by an octagonal shingle spire. A Gothic bell cast in 1497 hung there until the First World War. Inside were a Baroque high altar from 1666 and a Late Baroque crucifix on the rood beam.

The fire and the new church

The fire broke out on 30 January 1994 at about 18:30. The fire brigade was at the church after five minutes, but the building burned down all the same. The conservator of monuments did not agree to a reconstruction, so the wooden walls were taken down. The new church was built in 1996-2000 and consecrated on 9 September 2000. A Gothic sculpture of the Madonna and Child from the early 15th century and four bas-reliefs of the apostles were saved, because they had earlier been moved to the Diocesan Museum in Opole. In the area you can see the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Rudziniec.

Practical information

• Location: the village of Łącza, Gliwice County, on a rise in the southern part of the village.
• Check access, hours and the rules for visiting the interior with the parish before a visit.
• About 7 km further on lies the palace and park complex in Pławniowice.