St Lawrence's Church in Orzesze

St Lawrence's Church on ulica Na Górce is one of the oldest buildings in Orzesze. It is a brick church with a single nave, a tower and a small turret for the sanctus bell, entered in the heritage register.

History

The church was built around 1590, founded by Wawrzyniec Trach and his wife Anna Maria née Frankenberg, then owners of Orzesze. Until 1628 it belonged to the Protestants. Later it was a branch church of the parish in Woszczyce, and services were held in it only on selected feast days. An inventory from 1750 describes a brick church with three altars, a pulpit and a crypt in which the owners of Orzesze were buried.

In the middle of the 19th century the church underwent a thorough renovation. In 1912-1930 it was a parish church, and after the opening of the new Church of the Visitation it became a branch church again. That newer church, the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is less than a kilometre away.

Style and interior

The building combines Gothic and Renaissance features. In the 1960s the neo-Gothic altars and pulpit were removed, the interior was arranged anew and the façade was renovated. In the Jubilee Year 2000 a new stone altar was installed, and in 2002 the tower was renovated.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Na Górce 6, Orzesze
• The church is active, and information on visiting the interior is provided by the parish of St Lawrence