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Church of St. Laurentius in Strzelce Opolskie

designation:

Strzelce Opolskie

short description:

The church building is truly impressive. Its slender steeple is a symbol of the town centre just as the town hall tower and the castle tower.

Detailed description:

The Catholic church of St. Laurentius is estimated to have been built before 1290. Although the church is Neo-Baroque, its high altar is Baroque and was made by Jan K?nig from Wroc?aw in 1712. In the altar, there are statues of St. George, St. Florian, Archangel Michael and two unknown women. The centre part displays a golden framed painting of Our Lady of the Snow with Child. In addition, there are Baroque side altars. The left one is decorated with statues of St. Laurentius, an unknown saint, and Jesus the Saviour on top. The right one is supported by four columns and has statues of two angels; on its top, there is a statue of Blessing Jesus. It is also in the right altar where one can find the painting of St. Anthony with Child made on wood in the 17th century. The left altar is decorated with the painting of Archangel Michael from the 18th century. The late Baroque pulpit comes from the first half of the 18th century and is located in the left part of the church, next to the left side altar. In 1904, works began to build a new church. When it was finally open in 1907, the pulpit was renovated and partially changed. Its baldachin is in the shape of the lantern with a statue of Our Lady of the Assumption in the group of four Evangelists. In 1946, during a parishioner pilgrimage to Cz?stochowa, the church bought the painting of Our Lady of Cz?stochowa and put it on the side altar next to the pulpit as a votive offering. The new church of St. Laurentius is made of brick and plastered. It runs the length of 58 metres. The nave is 12.8 metres wide and 14 metres high. The barrel vault forms an impressive dome at the crossing point. The height of the church tower is 62 metres. It is crowned with a Baroque cap. On both sides, there are stairs leading up to the organs. Next to the choir, there are two-storey annexes. Above the main portal, one can find a relic of the good shepherd made of stucco; on both sides of it – statues of the Apostles. The ceiling is decorated with seven huge paintings depicting themes chosen by the then parish priest, M. Ganczarski. They show the Annunciation, the Birth of Christ, Christ’s teaching in the Temple, healing of the sick, Christ as a friend of children, the Last Supper (in the choir) and Ascension of Christ (in the crossing point of the naves). All of the paintings are by Klink, an artist from Babice near G?ubczyce who painted them in the Baroque style. Stained glass in the choir windows depicts St. John of Nepomuk and St. George. In the windows of the transept, there are paintings of Virgin Mary and St. Klara. The most valuable objects are the ones from the old church. The pulpit was renovated by Janotta, a carpenter, and Kurda, a painter.

street:

Ko???taja

street number:

9

City Code:

47-100

City:

Strzelce Opolskie

accessible:

Car, Bus, Bike

Animals allowed: No