Świdnica Cathedral (Cathedral of St Stanislaus and St Wenceslaus)

The tower of Świdnica Cathedral is 101.21 m high — the tallest church tower in the whole of Silesia and the sixth tallest in Poland. Beneath it stands one of the largest churches in Lower Silesia: a Gothic basilica that the Jesuits filled with Baroque furnishings and that the Prussians turned into a grain store for over a decade. It has been the cathedral of the Diocese of Świdnica since 2004 and a national Monument of History since 2017.

History: from Duke Bolko's parish church to a cathedral

The church was built on the orders of Duke Bolko II of Świdnica after an earlier wooden church burned down. Construction is dated to 1330; legend has it that the duke laid the foundation stone himself. Around 1400–1410 the church was enlarged, and after a fire in 1532 destroyed its Gothic furnishings, rebuilding was finished in 1546. From 1561 to 1629 the church was in Protestant hands, and in 1662 the Jesuits took it over, remodelling the interior in Baroque style around 1700. After the order was suppressed, the Prussian authorities used the building as a grain store in 1757–1772. A restoration in 1893–1895 stripped away many original details. On 25 March 2004 a papal bull of John Paul II created the Diocese of Świdnica and the church became its cathedral — curiously, the only cathedral in Poland without choir stalls for a cathedral chapter.

What to see

• The west front with four portals and sandstone sculptures, including the Apostles asleep in Gethsemane and Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus from 1427, plus a figure of St Anne with the Virgin and Child between the portals.
• The nave, 71 m long, 25 m high and 10 m wide; the three aisles together are 27 m wide.
• The high altar by Johann Riedel, with the Virgin under a canopy on seven columns, and his pulpit of 1698.
• The organ with its "Heavenly Orchestra" — carved music-making angels by Georg Leonhard Weber from 1704–1710.
• The Gothic polyptych of 1492 showing the Dormition of the Virgin, in the chapel known as the Burghers' Choir, attributed to a pupil of Veit Stoss, and a strikingly realistic Pietà from around 1420.
• The twelve-sided chapel beneath the chancel, resembling a crypt, with a star vault resting on a single pillar — a feature not found in other Gothic churches.

Interesting facts

On one wall hangs the epitaph of Martin Früauf, the last Catholic parish priest before the Reformation; its Latin inscription records that he died aged 99 years, 3 months and 6 days. In front of the sacristy lies the tombstone of parish priest Hugo Simon, who died in 1897, inscribed "Voluit Quiescit" — "He wished it; he rests here". In the churchyard stands a column of St Florian from 1684.

Tripto tip

The cathedral is open to visitors Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:45, except during Masses and services. The ticket, which doubles as a donation, costs PLN 15 (PLN 10 reduced for under-25s and over-60s), children up to 6 go free, and an audio guide is an extra PLN 15. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and photography is allowed without flash. Allow about an hour for the interior. Combine your visit with Świdnica's UNESCO-listed Church of Peace, a short walk away.