Church of the Holy Guardian Angel in Gorzyce

The Church of the Holy Guardian Angel in Gorzyce is a Neo-Gothic parish church from 1862-1869, standing in the centre of the village in Wodzisław County. It was preceded by wooden churches, and the present building was badly damaged in 1945 and rebuilt after the war.

Where the present church came from

Today's church is the successor to several wooden churches mentioned in sources from 1652, 1679 and 1688. The first, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was destroyed by a fire in the village in 1778. The second wooden church was moved from Pilchowice in 1800, and in 1839 it was pulled down and part of the material was used to build a makeshift oratory, called the "poor little Bethlehem stable".

A committee for building a new church was formed on 13 September 1852, but the project was postponed because of the impoverishment of the inhabitants after the flood of 1855. In 1857 the parish priest decided to build a brick church. The Neo-Gothic building was erected in 1862-1869, and the foundation stone was blessed on 3 November 1862 by the Bishop of Wrocław.

Destruction in 1945 and rebuilding

During the fighting in 1945 the church was badly damaged. It was rebuilt in 1946-1948, and the consecration took place on 29 March 1948. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was then added to the dedication. A sacristy was later added and the interior furnishings restored: the Stations of the Cross, the pulpit, side altars, figures and a reliquary.

The events of 1945 are also linked with the mid-19th-century presbytery, in whose cellar the parish priest Teodor Walenta was murdered on 16 April 1945.

The old cemetery opposite the church

Opposite the church lies an old cemetery. The parish priest Józef Thalherr is buried there, and there is an ornate mausoleum of the d'Arco family, former owners of the local estates. There is also a monument to the victims murdered by the Germans in camp no. 169 in Gorzyczki, known as Polenlager.

Practical information

• Village: Gorzyce, Wodzisław County. The verified sources do not give an exact address.
• The church is active as a parish church, so a visit to the interior is best planned around services. Check the hours with the parish.
• A few kilometres from the church is the Graniczne Meandry Odry viewing tower.
• Nearby is also the palace in Chałupki.