The Church of
the Holy Trinity in Żórawina
The region of
Lower Silesia, often called the Polish Loire Valley is full of famous castles,
churches or monasteries, each with its own, mysterious history. Such names like
Książ, Czocha or Chojnik are the real landmarks of the region and information
about them are available in almost every travel guide of the area. In fact, the
Region has more to offer, sometimes the smaller and forgotten towns and
villages are hiding real architectural gems.
15 kilometers
on the south-east of Wrocław, lies a small town called Żórawina, on the
communication track, with the important A4 highway. This indistinctive location,
which on the first impression is not really different from any other, typical
Polish village, in its center possess a
unique building: The Church of the Holy Trinity.
The church,
which construction is estimated on the fourteenth century, is made of bricks
and broken granite on the rectangular plan. Firstly it was built in Gothic, but
in the fourteenth century was reconstructed in Mannerist style. Both styles are
now mixed, creating an unique composition, completely unusual but harmonious
and beautiful. This reconstruction was funded by Adam Hanniwaldt, the imperial
Prussian advisor. The Hanniwaldt family were art experts, who employed a lot of
remarkable artists and architects to build the church. Some of the furniture
was imported from Prague or Rome,
including 17 paintings of the Passion of Christ from the early seventeenth
century.
In the church
we can observe the outlasted Renaissance murals of biblical scenes with plant
ornaments and the images of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. The ceiling is
presenting the scenes of the Final Judgment, and the church itself is equipped
with richly decorated, Mannerist furniture: the interior altar finished with
eagle-shaped verges and a sculptured group of the Holy Trinity, a pulpit
decorated with Evangelist figures, Rococo confessionals and a side altar with
the painting of Saint Apolonia Martyrdom. The upper level consists of a wooden
matroneum, decorated with paintings of the Stations of the Cross.
Despite the
combination of styles and periods within the temple, it creates an interesting
and coherent composition.
The courtyard
of the church, despite few tombstones of the former citizens, consist of a
renovated 14 monuments of the Stations
of the Cross, and couple handmade penitential crosses.
During the
Second World War, the church was spared from destruction, but it was ransacked
and a lot of valuable works of arts disappear. To prevent further
plundering, many relicts of the past
were moved to museums in Brzeg, Wroclaw or Warsaw. There were plans to make the
Church of the Holy Trinity the subsidiary of the Wroclaw National Museum, but
unfortunately many art works or landmarks that were moved temporary to other
locations never came back to the church. In the communism period, the church passed
symbolic restoration works, but it came back to its former glory in year 1997
with establishing a foundation, which name was summing up the value of the church:
The Pearl of Mannerism. After profound conservation works, with changing the
entire roof and wall renovation , the church serves the community on normal
basis during the year. During Easter, solemn processions of the Christ Passion
take place, but because of the Church’s peaceful and charming surrounding, it
is a popular place for weddings or movie sets.
The Church of
Holy Trinity, because of its complicated history, combination of architectural
styles, and unfortunate fate of its works of art, is indeed the Pearl of Mannerism,
and it is worth visiting by every tourist during a trip to Lower Silesia.
A.Ż
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