Church of the Assumption in Racibórz

The parish church on the Market Square in Racibórz is one of the oldest parish churches in Upper Silesia and the only one in the town that has kept the features of early Gothic. Behind its west front hides an unusual addition – the Polish Chapel, a reminder of a quarrel among the townspeople over which language sermons should be preached in. Inside are a Baroque high altar by Salomon Steinhoff and the tomb of Euphemia, a princess of the Piast dynasty whose beatification process has been under way since 2014.

History: from fire to collegiate church

According to tradition the church was founded in 1205 by Duke Mieszko I Tanglefoot and built by settlers from the Low Countries – Flemings and Walloons. The oldest reliable record dates from 1286, when parish priest Bogusław and four vicars are mentioned. After the town fire of 1300 the burghers rebuilt the church from its foundations; the walls of the chancel and nave and fragments of the window tracery date from this time. In 1416 Duke John II the Iron moved the collegiate chapter here from the castle, and a two-storey annex with a chapter house and treasury was added to the chancel. The Prussian authorities dissolved the chapter in 1810. Fires in 1426, 1546, 1574, 1643 and 1774, and finally the destruction of 1945, meant the church was rebuilt many times; after the war, in 1948–1949, some 19th-century alterations were removed.

The Polish Chapel – a quarrel over language

Services here were held in both Polish and German, and in 1407 Duchess Magdalena of Opole granted the Polish preacher a separate salary from the income of the ducal mint. The dispute over which language came first led to the construction in 1426–1446 of a large chapel attached – unusually – to the west front. It was intended for the Germans, but in 1479 the German burghers, claiming to be the majority, forced the Poles to take over the chapel and moved into the church themselves. Hence the name, which has survived to this day. A sandstone plaque in the chapel commemorates the town fire of 1574.

What to see

• The high altar of 1656–1660 by master Salomon Steinhoff, funded by Provost Andreas Scodonius and the Literary Confraternity. Between the columns stand figures including St John the Baptist, St Hedwig, St Wenceslas, St Roch and St Florian, and the top is crowned by St Marcellus, patron saint of Racibórz.
• Altar paintings: a Coronation of the Virgin from the mid-17th century and an Assumption by Jan Bochenek from 1890.
• Vaults: a late Gothic star vault in the eastern bays of the nave and a rib vault in the chancel, whose bosses bear the coats of arms of the burghers who paid for rebuilding after the fire.
• The tomb of Provost Martin Georg Korriger from 1715 in the left aisle and the epitaph of Andreas Florian Scodonius with a portrait bust.

Euphemia of Racibórz

The church holds the remains of Euphemia (Ofka), a Piast princess of Racibórz, a Dominican nun and twice prioress of her convent, who died on 17 January 1359. In the early 19th century the small coffin with her remains was solemnly moved to the parish church and a side altar was dedicated to her. On 19 January 2014 Bishop Andrzej Czaja of Opole opened her beatification process at diocesan level.

Tripto tip

The church stands on ul. Mickiewicza, right by the Market Square, so it fits easily into a walk round the old town. Allow 30–45 minutes for the interior. Before going in, walk round to the west side – only from there can you see how the Polish Chapel, "glued" to the façade, changes the church's silhouette. Opening hours outside services are not published by official sources, so the safest time to visit is just before or after a Mass.