The cathedral of the Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec, Gothic from the 15th century, rebuilt in 1909-1912 to a design by Leopold Bauer, with a 61-metre tower.
St Nicholas Cathedral stands on a square in the Old Town of Bielsko-Biała and is the church of the Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec. It began as a Gothic church of the 15th century, and it received its present appearance, with a 61-metre tower modelled on the Venetian campanile, in 1909-1912.
The first church was built in 1443-1447, founded by Duke Wenceslas I of Cieszyn, and was consecrated in 1447. In 1559-1630 it served the Lutheran denomination. The building burned several times: in 1659 it burned down completely and was rebuilt thanks to Baron Julius Gottlieb Sunneghy, in 1750 lightning melted the bell and the tower clock, and the reconstruction lasted from 1751 to 1756. Another fire broke out in 1808. New furnishings were funded in 1815-1822 by Prince Jan Nepomucen Sułkowski, and the Sułkowski family had cared for the church since 1752. Their former seat, the castle of the Sułkowski princes, can be found a few hundred metres away.
The church was raised to the rank of cathedral after the creation of the Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec in 1992. It is still also the church of the St Nicholas parish.
In 1909-1912 the church was thoroughly rebuilt to a design by Leopold Bauer, who gave it its present appearance. The brick tower is 61 metres high, and its model was the campanile of St Mark's in Venice. It is decorated with stylised vine branches. In 1998 the tower was covered with copper sheet, and the clock dates from 1918.
Above the main portal stands a figure of Christ surrounded by medallions with images of the twelve apostles. There are also statues of St Nicholas, St Hedwig of Silesia and St John of Nepomuk. The sculptures were made by Othmar Schimkowitz, a collaborator of Otto Wagner.
In the nave you will see Art Nouveau stained glass by the Viennese artist Rudolf Harflinger from 1912, as well as older stained glass from the workshop of C. L. Turcke in Prague from 1894. There are also newer ones, including one with an image of John Paul II from 2009 and one of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński from 2012. Polychromes painted over in 1965-1966 were restored in 1998. The organ was built in 1920 by the Rieger company of Krnov and extended in 1952 by Wacław Biernacki of Kraków. It has 51 stops.
The only part of the church that survived all the fires is the Chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa. The painting was brought from Tokaj by Colonel Teodor Sułkowski, and it has hung in the chapel since 1729. The tower now holds cast-iron bells from 1958, the largest weighing about 1,500 kg. The previous ones, cast in 1937 in Biała, were stolen in 1942.
Be the first! Add a comment.
You need to log in to add a comment.
Log in