Churches & monasteries

St Peter and Paul Church in Nysa

Less than two hundred metres from the market square of Nysa, on Bracka street, stands a church regarded as the finest Baroque temple in the city. St Peter and Paul Church was built in 1720–1727, and its history is tied to the Canons Regular, guardians of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, known in Poland as the bożogrobcy.

The Scheffler brothers' frescoes

The greatest treasure of the interior is the polychromy executed in 1730–1731 by the brothers Tomasz and Feliks Antoni Scheffler. All the frescoes and paintings are subordinated to a single idea: the glorification of the Holy Cross and redemption. The whole can thus be read as one story — it is worth pausing longer under the vaults and following the successive scenes.

Baroque in the heart of town

The church stands in the strict centre and fits well into a short walk: next to it is the historic Triton Fountain, behind it opens the market square, and in front of the church the Municipal Park begins.

In practice

Allow 20–30 minutes for a visit; the interior is best seen in daylight, when the frescoes are at their clearest. Half a kilometre away lies the Nysa fortress, so the church combines easily with further sightseeing.