St James's Church in Racibórz

The Dominican friary that stood beside Racibórz's market square for almost six centuries is gone; only its church survives. St James's Church, in the north-eastern corner of the square, burned at least four times, yet it kept its medieval body and two Baroque chapels with works by the sculptor Salomon Steinhoff. It is also a stop on the Way of St James – and one of the few places in Poland where a medieval pilgrim's scallop shell has been found.

History: Dominicans, fires and Polish sermons

The Dominicans may have arrived in Racibórz as early as 1238–1239, and their friary is documented in 1246. By the mid-1250s a monastic complex with a church already stood by the square. A fire in 1300 destroyed the church, but it was rebuilt on an even grander scale. After another fire in 1574 it received a Renaissance vault, and after a third in 1637 Baroque furnishings – the work was finished in 1655, a date recorded with the Odrowąż coat of arms on the stone door frame leading to the chancel.

In 1810 the Prussian authorities dissolved the friary and its buildings were demolished. The church was saved by an agreement of 1811 that it would hold services in Polish – which it did until 1938. The façade facing the square was remodelled in 1874 in neo-Romanesque style. In 1945 the roof and high altar burned; after rebuilding, completed in 1947, the church served for some years as the town-centre parish church while the main parish church was being restored.

What to see

• The Chapel of the Holy Cross (Gaschin Chapel) on the north wall – stucco decoration from 1637–1655 and a black marble altar with an alabaster Crucifixion group. In 1661 Count Melchior Ferdinand von Gaschin commissioned it from Steinhoff for 200 thalers. The family crypt lies beneath.
• The Rosary (Scapular) Chapel opposite – an altar from 1659 wrapped in a Tree of Jesse, with carved ancestors of the Virgin Mary and a painting of the Vision of St Dominic.
• A brass scallop shell on one of the pillars – a sign that the church lies on the route to Santiago de Compostela.
• At the entrance, a statue of St John of Nepomuk from before 1720 and a marble cross from 1874.
• The organ, built in 1906 by Schlag & Söhne of Świdnica, with 16 stops.

Interesting facts

Excavations on the square in 1997 turned up a scallop shell of the kind worn by pilgrims returning from Spain – according to the parish, one of only seven found in Poland. In 2019 the Racibórz section of the Way of St James was consecrated anew. The man who paid for the Gaschin Chapel altar, Melchior Ferdinand von Gaschin, also built the palace at Żyrowa.

Tripto tip

The church belongs to the parish of the Assumption, and Masses in German are among the services held here. Entry is free, but the interior is best seen just before or after a service – the parish publishes the current schedule. The parish website also offers a virtual tour of the interior, handy if you find the door locked. Allow 20–30 minutes. Right outside stands a Baroque Marian column; a few minutes away are the Gothic parish church and, across the Oder, the Piast Castle with its Chapel of St Thomas Becket.