Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (Opole)
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (Polish: Kościół Matki Boskiej Bolesnej ) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Opole (Opole) in Poland . It is also known as the Bergelkirche (Polish Kościół Na Górce ). It counts as the oldest church in the city.
history
Construction of the first wooden chapel
The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows is located on the highest hill, the so-called Kalkberg ( Polish: Wapienna Górka ) at a height of 165 meters above sea level in the old town of Opole. The hl. According to legend, Adalbert preached on this small mountain (984–995) and converted the people of Opole to the Christian faith. After his death, a first wooden chapel was built around the year 1000, which was the first church building in Opole and was consecrated to St. Adalbert and the Virgin Mary.
In 1254 the Opole Duke Wladislaus I elevated the church to the parish church of Opole. In 1295 the church lost its parish status to the Kreuzkirche . After the Dominicans came to Opole in 1295, Duke Bolko I of Opole gave them the place of worship as a monastery church.
Construction of the stone Gothic church
From 1304, the Dominicans carried out structural measures on the church, with a first brick church in the Gothic style instead of the wooden chapel . The choir wall with buttresses and pointed arched windows is still preserved . In 1361 the church was consecrated again by Auxiliary Bishop Dirslaus to the Holy Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert. At the same time the neighboring monastery was built, which is now used by the University of Opole . From 1430 there were again new structural measures on the church. In 1530 the Dominicans left the city. In 1558 the church was closed by imperial order because an evangelical service was taking place in it. Only in 1604, when the Dominicans returned, the church was reopened.
In 1615 the mountain church was destroyed by a city fire. Shortly after the reconstruction, this was again set on fire during the Thirty Years War when the Swedes invaded in 1621 and destroyed down to the walls. In 1682 and 1739 the church building was again destroyed by fires.
Baroque remodeling
After the last big fire in 1739, it was built in baroque style with a rococo facade . After the order was secularized in 1810, the church building was handed over to the Opole high school. At that time the church had 13 altars, an organ and three bells as well as the rosary picture. This was previously hanging over the altar, but was replaced in 1811 by the miraculous image of the Mother of God of Piekar. The painting was passed on to the Holy Cross community as early as 1813. During the Napoleonic Wars , the church was used as a store room and a hospital. A tower for the church was planned as early as 1838. A first stair tower was built in 1878, which was expanded to 42 meters between 1895 and 1896. In the middle of the 19th century the front was redesigned in the early Romanesque style. The church is thus a Gothic-Baroque building with a baroque interior.
20th century to the 2010s
During the First World War , the church had to give up two bells, with only the death bell remaining. In 1926 the church roof was renewed and in 1936 the bell tower received three new bells. Between 1931 and 1938 the church was completely overhauled. The old staircase was removed and replaced, a heating system inside was installed, the outer facade was renewed and the windows in the chancel were enlarged, the neo-Romanesque altar was removed and replaced by a new one in 1937 and the interior was completely repainted. During the installation work, bone fragments were found in the choir room at a depth of 3.5 meters. It is believed that church benefactors and monks were buried here. In 1940 the Bergelkirche became a parish church again. The first pastor was Anton Jendrzejczyk.
In 2012 and 2013 the outside facade of the church was renovated. Between 2016 and 2017, the church's staircase was renovated for almost 1.5 million złoty. On June 2, 2017, the stairs were released again.
architecture
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The mountain church has a three-aisled and four-bay nave. The ribbed vault in the nave is mainly from the years 1701–1708. On the east side is the elongated, four-bay choir from the first half of the 14th century. The choir, closed on three sides, has stab cap barrels and is decorated with pilasters. The choir vault is decorated with a ceiling painting, which, among other things, depicts the Assumption of Mary.
The Bergelkirche has a neo-Romanesque facade. Behind it is a Gothic building with a baroque interior. The pulpit, the main altar, six side altars and several sculptures from the 18th century have been preserved.
The church tower was built in 1896 in the baroque style by the architect Paul. The tower is crowned with an onion helmet with a lantern. The bell tower was completed at the same time as the towers of the Franciscan Church and those of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross .
Furnishing
In the Bergelkirche there is a painting of the Immaculate Conception of Mary from the 18th century and the tomb of Duke Bishop Johann I von Opole . After the painting from Piekary Śląskie (German: Piekar) was transferred to the Opole Cathedral in 1813, it was temporarily kept in the mountain church. Therefore, a copy of the picture is kept in the church.
There are six side altars in the church building, all made of wood around 1750. In the south aisle is the altar of St. Thomas Aquinas. Here is an altarpiece, which shows Thomas Aquinas praying in front of the cross. On the pillar in the south nave is the altar of the Sorrowful Mother of God, who is also shown in the altarpiece. Another painting on this altar depicts the beheading of St. Barbara. A third altar in the south aisle is the cross altar with an altarpiece of Christ on the cross and a gilded relief of the penitent Maria Magdalena. The Dominic altar is located in the north aisle. The associated altarpiece depicts St., surrounded by angels and a dog. Dominikus. Further altars in the north aisle are the Joseph altar and the Anna altar.
The pulpit is made of wood and is marbled gray-green and red. The gilded relief on the sound cover represents the Last Judgment. The main altar dates from 1750 and is from the late baroque era. This has a canopy and paintings of St. Adalbert and St. Catherine.
The present organ dates from 1850. The crown and decorations are still from the old baroque organ. Among other things, there is a David playing harp and Queen Sheba with a lute.
The sacristy is located on the southern side of the nave. Inside it has a ceiling painting of Saints Adalbert and Georg from 1733.
Web links
literature
- Dehio Handbook of Art Monuments in Poland. Silesia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich et al. 2005, ISBN 3-422-03109-X , pp. 708–710.
- Hamada, Andrzej: Architecture of Opole in the historical cityscape , Oficyna Piastowska Opole 2008, ISBN 978-83-89357-45-8
- Zajączkowska, Urszula: Oppeln / Opole - An art history tour through the city on the Oder , Great Art Guide Schnell & Steiner, Volume 271; ISBN 978-3-7954-2592-0
- O. Spisla: Opole in the storms of time - Opole w zawierusze czasu. Haus Oberschlesien Foundation Ratingen-Hösel (no year). ISBN 83-904897-0-8 , pp. 47-52
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 8.3 " N , 17 ° 55 ′ 31" E