The Assumption of St. Mary Church (farny)

Location: Racibórz-Stare Miasto, ul. Mickiewicza
Tourist route:
- Husarii Polskiej
- Polskich Szk. Mniejszość

It is one of the oldest parish temples in Upper Silesia. As the only one it retained features of early Silesian Gothic. It was founded in 1205. In 1416, by foundation of duke Jan II Żelazny, a collegiata capitulum was moved here from the castle. The capitulum was secularized in 1810. The temple was rebuilt many times. The first Gothic shape with characteristic star-shaped vaults has remained. Former capitularium with a vault borders with a chancel on the southern side. In the chancel there is a beautiful Baroque main altar (built between 1656 and 1660). The altar consists, among others, of two valuable paintings: St. Mary’s coronation (middle of the 17th century) and St. Mary’s assumption (1890, by Jan Bochenek). Between the altar columns there are sculptures of the saints: John the Babtist, Jadwiga, Jan Ewangelista, Elżbieta, Wacław, Sebastian, Roch and Florian; at the end is St. Marcel’s figure. On the Western side there is the Polish Chapel (Kaplica Polska) (15th century), a testimony of former disputes among Polish and German speaking citizens of Racibórz. In the chapel there is a sandstone chart, commemorating the most tragic fire in Racibórz, in 1574. In the left aisle one can see a tomb of prelate Marcin Jerzy Korriger (1715) and an epitaph chart of Opole collegiata rector and Racibórz rector Andrzej Florian Scodonius (deceased in 1660). There is a bas-relief bust and a coat of arms crucifix on the epitaph chart.