Old Church of St Bartholomew in Gliwice

The Old Church of St Bartholomew is a Gothic building in the Gliwice district of Szobiszowice, on Toszecka Street. It stands on a small rise, surrounded by a wall. It is entered in the heritage register.

The oldest church in Szobiszowice

The first mention of Szobiszowice (then Petersdorf) dates from 1276, and a parish existed here at the end of the 13th century and is considered one of the oldest in Upper Silesia. The exact date of construction of the church is not known. Archaeological research from 1973 showed that the chancel is older than the nave and dates from the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. The hypothesis that the church was built by the Templars in 1232 has not been confirmed.

In 1447 a rectangular nave was added to the chancel. In 1623 the buildings of the suburb, together with the church, were burned down to prepare the town for defence against Mansfeld’s troops, and after rebuilding, after 1626, a tower was added and the vault of the chancel was changed. Until 1911 the church was a parish church, until a new neo-Gothic church was built nearby.

What it looks like

The church has a single nave, is oriented, built of stone and brick, with stepped buttresses strengthening the walls. The tower has crenellation and a sunken roof, and the roofs of the nave and chancel are gabled and covered with shingles. The nave has a flat ceiling, the chancel a vault on transverse ribs, and the porch a cross vault. The church grounds are surrounded by a stone wall, and by the entrance stands a stone cross from 1882.

The furnishings come mainly from the 17th and 19th centuries: a Baroque, marbled high altar with sculptures of Saints Peter and Paul and a Baroque pulpit. In the chancel and on the chancel arch wall, 17th-century wall paintings discovered in 1971-1972 have survived, among them a Tree of Jesse, and in 2010 remains of Gothic paintings were uncovered.

Nearby

From Szobiszowice it is close to the Gliwice Radio Tower, which is about 1.4 kilometres from the church.

About 1.1 kilometres from here is the Municipal Palm House.

Practical information

• Address: Toszecka 38, Gliwice-Szobiszowice.
• This is a filial church, so it is worth checking with the parish of St Bartholomew whether you can go inside.