A Neo-Gothic brick chapel from 1905 in Piekary Śląskie-Szarlej, renovated in 2020-2021.
The Maria Hilf Chapel, that is, “Mary, Help”, is a Neo-Gothic chapel from 1905, standing alone on a small hillock in a clump of trees in Szarlej, right by the border between Piekary Śląskie and Bytom. It has been in the heritage register since 2019, and in 2020-2021 it underwent renovation.
The chapel lies in the western part of Piekary Śląskie, in the Szarlej district, near the A1 motorway and a railway line. It stands away from buildings. After the renovation its surroundings were tidied: benches, litter bins, lamps, a bicycle stand and an information board appeared.
The first place of worship between Piekary and Bytom appears on a map of 1827. For years a wooden, whitewashed shrine stood here, whose origins are unknown. Several legends are linked with the place: about a butcher from Bytom who founded it in thanks for the healing of his daughter, about the field of a farmer named Wieczorek, and about King John III Sobieski, who on his way to Vienna was said to have stopped here and looked towards Piekary.
The present masonry chapel was built in 1905 of clinker brick to a design by the Bytom architect Karl Mainka. The founders were most probably the Langner family, although according to some sources the construction was financed by the Bytom entrepreneur and philanthropist Ignatz Hakuba. Until the outbreak of the First World War, Marian celebrations were held here on the last Sunday of May, attended by the faithful from Rozbark, Bytom and Piekary.
After the First World War and the Third Silesian Uprising the chapel was abandoned and fell into ruin. The Polish-German border ran a few dozen metres away, so the building began to serve as a resting place for border guards, who cleaned and repaired it. After the Second World War the building was renovated, and in 1955, after a long break, Mass was celebrated here. For many years it was a stop on the pilgrimage route to the Piekary sanctuary. Because of its remote location the chapel again fell victim to vandalism, and in the early 21st century the entrance and windows were bricked up. In 2019 it was taken over by the city, and after the renovation of 2020-2021, in which the foundations were strengthened and a new roof was made, a new bell was hung.
The chapel stands on a rectangular plan, with an apse closed on three sides on the north-west side, and has a gabled roof. It is built of unplastered brick. The corners are supported by buttresses, which at the façade turn into brick pinnacles, and the gable is decorated with bricks laid in steps. The entrance and windows are closed with pointed arches, and in the apse there is a rose window. Above the door is a marble plaque with the inscription “Erbaut Maria hilf 1905”, and above it a roof turret.
Be the first! Add a comment.
You need to log in to add a comment.
Log in