Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Katowice, Poland

The church of St. Michael Archangel was first built in 1305 in Syrynia, near Wodzisław Śląski. At that time it had a defensive purpose; it was used by the people living in the village as a place where they could hide in, in a case of an attack. The free-standing bell tower was used as a watch tower. The church, in the form and size it is now, was built in 1510. In the 17th century a new free standing tower was built but it was replaced by the present one in 1853. In 1913 the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, visited the church and, reportedly, admired the beauty of the church very much.

In the years 1938-1939 the church was transported to Kosciuszko Park. This was a part of a bigger project before World War II, which was to create a heritage park with examples of traditional Silesian architecture. Along with the church, a 17th-century granary from Gołkowice was also moved to Kosciuszko Park. Unfortunately it was burned in a fire in 1969. The fire did not spread and the church, belfry and the fence around were not affected.

After World War II broke out, the German occupant did not allow for the church to be opened and used for services. Towards the end of the War, bunkers and trenches were built nearby the church, however in 1945 the front line moved and the church survived. In the post-war years and after changes in the political situation in Poland, the church was for a few years forgotten and neglected. There was even an idea that the church should be moved again, this time to a park in Pszczyna. However the opinion of the specialists was such that the technical state of the church building does not allow the church to be transported.

After political changes in 1956 the situation of the church started to improve. The church was blessed for the third time and started to be used for services. The church also required immediate care and repair. In 1981 a new parish of St. Michael Archangel was created. Most of the paintings that were still on the walls in 1930’s, were washed of before the church was moved to Katowice. Many of the pieces of architectural fittings are relatively new however there are things that are much older; an example could be a baroque ambo.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1510
Category: Religious sites in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Yevgeniy Andreychuk (2 years ago)
A historic wooden church located in the picturesque Kościuszko Park. A place definitely worth visiting when visiting Kościuszko Park.
Douglas Santos (2 years ago)
Beautiful church in a nice park. I haven't been inside though.
Adam Rusek (3 years ago)
Old wooden chapel, originated from other place, moved here and nicely restored. Looks like open air museum.
Timotej Verbovšek (5 years ago)
Very nice church, all in wood and quite different from others. Highly recommended!
Olexa (6 years ago)
It's great
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.