Churches & monasteries

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Niemodlin

By the market square of Niemodlin stands the Gothic church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — a temple with a presbytery from the end of the 13th century, which for over four centuries (1389–1810) served as a collegiate church with a chapter of canons, and today is a parish church 0.5 km from the castle.

A collegiate church of the Opole dukes

The first mention of the church comes from 1228, when Duke Casimir I of Opole entrusted its patronage to the palatine Klemens Gryfita. The rank of collegiate church was granted in 1389 by Duke Bolko IV of Opole. The nave and tower were built in the second half of the 15th century. On 17 June 1640, during the Thirty Years' War, the church burned down almost completely; after the 1651 rebuild the tower was three times more struck by lightning (1655, 1781, 1864). Rebuilt after that last strike, it measures 62.7 metres.

The interior

The presbytery is covered by a barrel-cross vault with decorative stucco ribs from the 16th century, and its wall preserves Gothic sedilia, probably from the 14th century. The main altar, funded in 1822 by Count Fryderyk Praschma, features a painting of the Assumption modelled on a composition by Guido Reni. The tower hangs, among others, a Renaissance bell from 1522.

Practicalities

The church stands at Rynek 29; beside it are a grotto with a figure of Our Lady of Lourdes and a historic wrought-iron lantern. The nearest attraction is Niemodlin Castle with its park, and the surrounding Silesian churches and palaces are worth a drive.