Churches & monasteries

Collegiate Church of the Assumption in Kłodzko

On the spur of plac Kościelny in the middle of the old town of Kłodzko rises the Collegiate Church of the Assumption — the oldest and most precious temple of the Kłodzko Valley, elevated to the rank of a collegiate church on 15 August 2016. The foundation stone of the present church was laid in 1344 by the Hospitallers at the initiative of the Prague archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice, who grew up in Kłodzko and left the construction a substantial bequest in his testament.

A building project lasting centuries

The Gothic basilica grew with interruptions: the Hussite wars halted the works, which resumed after 1458. By 1468 the main nave and the southern White Tower were complete, bearing the Maltese cross and the date 1465; the northern Black Tower rose from 1487 to around 1522. After the Jesuits took over the church in 1624, the interior acquired its baroque character.

The Lady of Kłodzko

In the high altar of 1727–1729, beneath a carved canopy, stands the Gothic figure of the Virgin Mary known as the Lady of Kłodzko, carved from cedar wood in the mid-15th century. The interior is filled with a pulpit by Michael Klahr, busts of fourteen patrons of the town by F. K. Veit and statues of the twelve apostles from 1680. The basilica is enormous: the main nave is 53.7 m long, and the church axis is twisted 41 degrees away from the traditional orientation.

Practicalities

Entry is free. On the northern side the late Gothic Black Gate survives — a remnant of the former churchyard wall with statues of St Ignatius of Loyola, St Philip Neri and St Francis Xavier. Next to the church begins the Underground Tourist Route, which runs through the town's medieval cellars.