St. Mary's Church (Kosciol Mariacki) description and photos - Poland: Katowice (Topic)

St. Mary's Church (Kosciol Mariacki) description and photos - Poland: Katowice. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Kosciol Mariacki.

Photo and description

St. Mary's Church - the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Katowice. The idea of creating a parish was born in Katowice in the 19th century, when the population of Upper Silesia began to grow rapidly. In 1858, Catholics from Katowice began negotiations for the transfer of a nearby wooden church to the city. The request was not granted, so in 1861 the construction of a large church in the neo-Gothic style began at the initiative of the bishop of Wroclaw Heinrich Foerster. The German architect Alexis Langer was appointed as the architect of the project.

Bishop Foerster, realizing the pace of development of the region, first commissioned the architect for a monumental project: a large three-nave church. However, such funding would have been difficult to achieve, so the design began to gradually change. It was decided that the church will have a one-span transept and an altar next to the sacristy. On the front (west) side, a 71 meter high octagonal tower will be built, decorated in a typical neo-Gothic style. The building of the church is not quite typical for an architect - this is the only church by Langer, built not of brick, but of stone. The church gives the impression of being more squat than it actually is.

Many outstanding artists have worked on the interior of the church. The stained glass windows were designed by Adam Bunsch, a student of Mehoffer. The sculptures were created by the master Henry Piechaski.

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Topic: St. Mary's Church (Kosciol Mariacki) description and photos - Poland: Katowice.