St Barbara's Church in Międzylesie

In the cemetery on the eastern edge of Międzylesie stands a white church with a tall tower topped by an onion dome and lantern. It is older than the town's main church in its present form – it was built in 1491 – and although it survived the Thirty Years' War and several rebuildings, its Gothic roots are still visible.

History

The church was built by Catholics in a suburb of Międzylesie in 1491. In 1643, during the Thirty Years' War, it was burned by the Swedes. Rebuilding was finished in 1670, and it was consecrated a year later, in 1671. It was remodelled in the 18th century. Today it is a chapel of ease of Corpus Christi parish, surrounded by a working cemetery.

What to look for

• The building – a single-nave, late Renaissance church with Gothic elements and a separate chancel with a five-sided end and buttresses.
• The coffered ceiling of the nave and the rib vault of the chancel.
• The high altar of 1831, designed by J. Schramm – with older statues of St Barbara and St Catherine and a painting of St Barbara by Bartsch of Bystrzyca Kłodzka.
• The Rococo side altar of the Virgin Mary from the second half of the 18th century, with statues of St Francis Xavier and St Ignatius.
• Burghers' epitaphs with guild emblems in the south wall, and the Neoclassical epitaph of J.C. Ludwig from the first half of the 19th century, carved as a grave relief.

Tripto tip

The church is a few hundred metres from the market square. The interior is usually opened for services, so you can see the outside at any time but the inside is easiest to visit around Mass or cemetery ceremonies. Allow 15–20 minutes. The best view is from the cemetery gate, where the tower and chancel form one silhouette against the surrounding hills.