St Catherine of Alexandria Church in Toszek

Between the market square and the castle in Toszek stands a church that, from the mid-18th century onwards, drew pilgrims from all over Upper Silesia and even from the part of Poland then under Russian rule. The reason was Pope Clement XIII, who in 1762 founded here one of the few confraternities in the world devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This explains the church's second dedication and its fame as a place of pilgrimage.

History: from St Peter to St Catherine

A town chronicle of 1201 mentions a Church of St Peter in Toszek, belonging to the Wrocław abbey at Ołbin; until 1264 it was served by Premonstratensian canons. After the destruction of the Mongol invasion, Duke Bolko built a stone church and dedicated it to St Catherine. The Hussites, who seized nearby Bytom and Gliwice in 1430, wrecked the church again. It was rebuilt by Duke Przemko – in 1445 according to the parish chronicle, in 1456 according to other accounts. Przemko, who also rebuilt Toszek Castle in 1450–1455, lies buried in the crypt in front of the chancel.

Baron von Peterswald's Baroque

In 1713–1715 Baron Johann Dietrich von Peterswald, owner of Toszek and Pyskowice, had the church thoroughly remodelled. He added a vaulted ceiling, demolished the wooden belfry and built a massive tower whose lower storey houses the organ loft. The baron contributed 7,000 guilders, while the town supplied materials, labour and transport. A Latin motto from the Book of Genesis was placed near the gable: "Non est hic aliud nisi domus Dei, et porta coeli" – "this is none other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven". Today it is a three-aisled Baroque church of rubble stone, with narrow side aisles and a patron's box above the sacristy.

What to see

• The miraculous image of the Virgin Mary from 1687, venerated as Our Lady of Toszek.
• The organ, built in 1844 by the Wrocław organ builder Moritz Robert Müller. Out of action for years, it was restored in 2010–2012 and plays again; it was blessed on 13 November 2011.
• The late Baroque interior from the first quarter of the 18th century, with 7 altars.
• The grotto on the square beside the church, where a cemetery lay in the Middle Ages.

Tripto tip

The church is a few steps from the castle hill, so see both together; allow 1–1.5 hours for a walk around the square, the church and the castle. It is a working parish church: Mass times are published by the parish, and the easiest time to see the interior is just before or after a service. The church has three cast-iron bells, made in 1923 by the Schilling & Lattermann foundry in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, Saxony.