Basilica of the Assumption and St Nicholas, Bolesławiec

A slender 55-metre tower and a brick-and-white gable patterned with lozenges are Bolesławiec's landmark, visible from many streets in the Old Town. Inside the 15th-century Gothic hall lies a completely different world: Baroque altars, gilding and sculpture added after a fire in 1642. Since 2012 the church has been a minor basilica, and since 2004 a Marian sanctuary.

History: from the Hussites to a basilica

A parish church stood here by the mid-13th century. In 1429, during a Hussite raid, it burned down, and rebuilding on the old foundations began in 1432 or 1442 – sources differ. The church was enlarged in 1482–1492 and again in the 16th century. It was built by a Lusatian-Saxon workshop, hence the stone Gothic hall with a three-aisled chancel.

The next blow came in 1642, during the Thirty Years' War, when the church was partly destroyed. Rebuilding in the second half of the 17th century was directed by Giulio Simonetti, who gave the interior its Baroque character. Smaller works continued until the mid-18th century. In 2004 the Bishop of Legnica established the Sanctuary of the Assumed Mother of the Church here, and on 7 October 2012 the church was raised to the rank of minor basilica.

What to see inside

• The high altar with a carved Assumption scene and figures of saints – the work of Jerzy Leonhard Weber.
• The Chapel of the Holy Cross from 1517, one of the oldest surviving parts of the interior.
• Baroque side altars: St Barbara, with a font from 1727, and St Catherine, with 17th-century paintings.
• The organ by Schlag & Söhne of Świdnica from 1904 (opus 688), now with 26 stops. Earlier instruments were built here by Jan Lange (around 1600) and Gotfryd Eberhard (1709).

What to look for outside

Walk all the way round. The outer walls hold numerous 16th- and 17th-century epitaphs. The grandest commemorates Sigmund von Bibran, who died in 1575 – beside the Ionic columns are rows of his ancestors' coats of arms, including the Zedlitz, Nostitz and Knobelsdorf families. On the south wall is a sundial from 1907, and by the entrances stand Baroque statues of saints brought here from various parts of town. The tower holds the Bell of Our Lady, weighing 1,002 kg.

Did you know?

• Stone, Gothic vaults and Baroque gilding reflect three eras meeting in one building: the Middle Ages, rebuilding after the Thirty Years' War and 18th-century additions.
• The arms on the von Bibran epitaph are a small lesson in Silesian heraldry – arranged to show ancestors on both the father's and the mother's side.

Tripto tip

The basilica stands on ulica Kościelna, a few steps from the market square and town hall, so it combines easily with a walk round the Old Town and the Ceramics Museum. Allow 30–45 minutes for the interior and a circuit of the walls with the epitaphs. It is a working parish church – the interior is easiest to see outside service times, and please keep quiet during Mass. The best view of the tower and its lozenge gable is from the west.