St Joseph's Church in Katowice

St Joseph's Church in Załęże is a brick Neo-Gothic church built as a votive offering after the disaster at the "Cleophas" mine (later "Kleofas") in 1896, when more than a hundred miners died. It is a historic monument, and its silhouette with a tall tower over the crossing dominates the area around Gliwicka Street.

A vow after the disaster

The idea of building a church in Załęże had appeared earlier, but funds were lacking; the residents belonged to the parish in Bogucice, about 4 km away. In 1894 the parish priest of Bogucice, Father Ludwik Skowronek, bought land for a church, a presbytery and a cemetery. After the disaster of 3-4 March 1896 he made a vow to build a church, and on 20 April of that year the parish of St Joseph was established. Work began on 15 May 1898, the church was opened in October 1900, and it was consecrated on 29 April 1902 by Cardinal Georg von Kopp.

Architecture

The design is by the architect Ludwig Schneider, who also designed the neighbouring convent of the Hedwig Sisters and the presbytery. The church was built of clinker-faced brick on a Latin cross plan, as a pseudo-basilica. It has two small turrets with staircases to the gallery, a portico of three bays with a rose window above the entrance, and an octagonal tower over the crossing, about 35 m high above the roof. The interior is covered with star and ribbed cross vaults, and the chancel is five-sided. The walls are now white, without polychrome.

Furnishings

There are five altars in the church: the high altar and four side ones, among them that of St Florian, funded by the steelworkers of the Baildon steelworks, and that of St Barbara, a gift from the miners of Kleofas. The carved altars and confessionals were made by Carl Buhl of Wrocław, and the paintings of the Holy Family in the high altar were painted by Julian Wałdowski. The organ of 1900 was built by the firm Schlag & Söhne of Świdnica; it has 27 stops, two manuals and a pedal. Plaques dedicated to the victims of the mine disaster hang in the church.

Nearby

It is a few kilometres from here to the centre of Katowice. Nearby lies the Silesian Theatre, and a little further the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Gliwicka 76, Katowice-Załęże.
• The church is in use as a parish church. Information on access to the interior is given by the parish on the website zaleze.archidiecezja.katowice.pl.