Churches & monasteries

Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Ruda Śląska

On Jan Paweł II Square in Nowy Bytom, regarded as the main market square of Ruda Śląska, stands the mighty basilica of St. Paul the Apostle — one of the finest examples of Romanesque Revival in Upper Silesia. Construction began in 1911, and as early as 1912 the church was consecrated.

The work of a Dortmund architect

The design came from Johannes Franziskus Klomp of Dortmund, creator among others of the monumental St. Anthony's church in Rheine in the Rhineland, the model for the Nowy Bytom building. Both towns shared a similar character, dominated by working-class families for whom churches became the spiritual centres of their districts. The parish of Nowy Bytom goes back to the 15th century, so the new church continued a long tradition.

Architecture between East and West

The three-aisled basilica with a transept and a presbytery closed by a semicircular apse has a massive tower flanked by chapels also crowned with apses. Inside, a barrel vault with lunettes spans the nave, and a sail vault marks the crossing. Klomp combined the Romanesque Revival with early Christian, Byzantine and Ottonian motifs; from the west, light enters through massive rose windows.

In practice

The church closes the square on its western side, right by Niedurnego Street, the main artery of Nowy Bytom. According to the posted hours the interior is open around the clock, so you can see it outside Mass times as well. A good complement to the visit is a walk around the area — Nikiszowiec, the historic workers' quarter of Katowice, lies within some twenty kilometres.