Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole (the so-called “na Górce”) and its transformations from the end of the 13th century to the beginning of the 18th century

Czesław Lasota, Andrzej Legendziewicz

doi:10.37190/arc220404

Abstract

The article concerns the transformations of the architecture of the Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Wojciech (the so-called “na Górce”) in Opole. The paper presents the results of original architectural research conducted from 2008 to 2017. Previous analyses regarding the construction and transformation of the church “na Górce” are based on the findings of pre-war researchers, which relied on a general inspection of the plastered building. The discussed architectural research enabled the scope of the original monastic church, and its expansion from around 1361, to be distinguished. This also applies to the enlargement of the chancel and its adaptation, as well as to the construction of a two-nave, four-bay nave. The chancel of this church was enlarged in around 1399 by adding a polygonal eastern closure, and the church itself was probably renovated and enlarged in around 1430 by the construction of an outbuilding adjacent to the nave. The presented research results significantly change the previously published description concerning the construction and transformation of the architecture of the Dominican church in Opole.

Keywords:
silesia
architecture
middle-ages
church
dominicans
opole

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2022

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Czesław Lasota*, Andrzej Legendziewicz**

Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole

(the so-called “na Górce”) and its transformations

from the end of the 13

century to the beginning of the 18

century

Introduction

The chartered town of Opole is located on the right

bank of the Odra River, and is separated from Pasieka

Island by the Młynówka River. The urban centre was

founded on a slope that descends towards the east, i.e.

towards the river valley. At its highest point – on the so-

called “Górka” – the church of the Dominican Order of

Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Wojciech was erected. Its

body of the church is a characteristic element of the pan-

orama of the Old Town, whereas its western façade closes

the viewing axis of the Zamkowy Bridge and St. Wojciech

Street (Fig. 1).

The former Dominican church consists of a three-

aisled body and a chancel, which is made on a plan of

a strongly elongated rectangle (closed on three sides from

the east), as can be seen in Figure 2. The southern wall

of the eastern part of the chancel forms the border with

a building of the University of Opole – formerly a mon-

astery. On the northern side of the chancel, at the height

of the rst bay (counting from the west), there is a chapel.

Above it, there is an octagonal tower topped with an on-

ion-shaped cupola with one opening. The chancel and the

chapel, to which the staircase leading to the upper levels

of the tower adjoins, are buttressed. The interior of the

chancel is illuminated by four windows: quadrilateral and

ogival windows in the polygonal closure, and two seg-

mental windows from the south, which are located in two

bays adjacent to the rainbow arcade.

The four-span nave has a varied spatial layout – basili-

ca-like on the south side, and pseudo-basilica on the north.

Its façades are devoid of buttresses – except for one diago-

nal buttress in the north-western corner. The side aisles and

the main nave from the west are illuminated by windows

with semi-circular arches. The windows in the southern

DOI: 10.37190/arc220404

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

* ORCID: 0000-0001-5226-2350. Faculty of Architecture, Wro-

cław University of Science and Technology, Poland.

** ORCID: 0000-0002-9228-296X. Faculty of Architecture, Wro-

cław University of Science and Technology, Poland, e-mail: andrzej.

legendziewicz@pwr.edu.pl

Fig. 1. Opole, post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows

and St. Wojciech, view from the west (photo by A. Legendziewicz)

Il. 1. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej

i św. Wojciecha, widok od zachodu (fot. A. Legendziewicz)

38 Czesław Lasota, Andrzej Legendziewicz

wall of the chancel and in the central nave have a sectional

shape. The main portal leading to the church was arranged

on the axis of the western façade. Next to the northern

façade of the main building, by the third bay from the west,

a small porch was placed.

The interiors of the chancel, central nave and south-

ern aisles are covered with barrel vaults (with lunettes),

which are supported on diagonal ribs between the bays

leading down to the heads of the pilasters that are made

in the Corinthian order (Fig. 3). The barrel vault in the

northern aisle is decorated with cross ribs that were recon-

structed in 1933. They are placed in line with the edges

of the lunettes, and also in the axes of the pillars between

the nave and the aisles. They are based on stone corbels

and cornices that crown the lesenes (Fig. 4). The chapel,

which opens through an arcade to the northern aisle and

chancel, has two bays: a southern one with a rib vault, and

a northern one with a groin vault without ribs.

The chancel, as well as the central nave and northern

aisle, are covered with a gable roof that is slightly bent at

the border between the nave and the aisles. It has separat-

ed slopes over the three-sided eastern wall. A shed roof

was made over the southern aisle.

The state of research

The oldest document, which comes from 1254, and

which mentions property grants to the church of St. Woj-

ciech, was recognized as a forgery in the 16

century by

Colmar Grünhagen [1, no. 875] and Wilfred Irgang [2,

no. 571]. The rst unquestionable source record concern-

ing the church comes from a deed issued on November 17,

1295 in Wrocław by Bishop Jan Romka [3, no. 2387], [4,

no. 225]. It states that the church of St. Wojciech lost its

parish rights, and that the house of the predicate brothers

was built in its vicinity. In addition, it contained infor-

mation about the transfer of its income to the prebend of

the collegiate church of St. Cross in Opole. Information

about the consecration of the church, which was done be-

tween August 15 and 17, 1361 by the auxiliary bishop of

Wrocław – Dzierzysław [5, pp. 71, 72], [6, pp. 89–104]

– is important with regards to the dating of the construc-

tion of the church. The reconstruction of the brick church

and monastery in 1399, probably after the siege of Opole

by the Polish army, was nanced by Prince Władysław II

[5, pp. 71, 72]. Information about the renovation of the

church and its rededication to the Blessed Virgin Mary

and the saints: Wojciech, George, Dominic and Ann comes

from 1430 [6, p. 90]

. Important, with regards to the dis-

cussion concerning the early modern transformations of the

church, are the mentions of res in Opole in 1682 and 1739

[4, pp. 181, 201, 207, 267, 268], [7, p. 888], during which

the buildings of the Dominican convent were aected.

The rst, and so far the only broader study of the archi-

tecture of the church was published by Günther Schied-

lausky, Rolf Hartmann and Hilda Eberle in the catalogue

of monuments of construction and art in Opole [6, pp. 89–

104]. They considered the eastern part of the chancel

(closed on three sides and distinguished by the thickness of

the walls) to be its oldest. The next part of the building to

be constructed was the western part of the chancel, which

forms the nave of the church. It was probably referred to

in the mention of the consecration that took part in 1361

on three consecutive days. The consecration concerned:

the main altar in the chancel, the altars in the nave, and

also the chapel and several other altars [5, pp. 71, 72], [6,

The authors refer to a lost Dominican chronicle kept until 1945 in

the Stadtarchiv in Wrocław.

Fig. 2. Opole, the post-Dominican

church of Our Lady of Sorrows

and St. Wojciech,

view from the east

(photo by A. Legendziewicz)

Il. 2. Opole,

kościół podominikański

pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej

i św. Wojciecha,

widok od wschodu

(fot. A. Legendziewicz)

Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole and its transformations 39

pp. 89–104]. The time of the construction of the main and

northern aisles of the present nave is probably indicated

in a written record from 1399, which mentions the con-

struction of a new brick building. The study contains infor-

mation about the Gothic vaults i.e. traces of a demolished

vault (visible at the attic level in the walls of the northern

and south-western parts of the chancel), and also informa-

tion about the reconstruction in 1933 of the groin vault (in

the northern aisle, using old building material). In addi-

tion, the cited authors describe the boss stone with frag-

ments of three ribs, a bas-relief of the head of St. John on

a bowl (found during the construction of the boiler room

under the western part of the chancel), and the second boss

stone with fragments of eight ribs, which was found in the

church’s courtyard. Based on the analysis of the prole of

the ribs from the second of these boss stones, as well as

the ribs in the vault of the northern aisle and the southern

part of the chapel, it was indicated that it could have been

located in the vault above the central nave. The two-nave

building was built with a chapel next to the chancel as part

of one investment in around 1400. In turn, the boss stone

with three ribs and the bas-relief was probably placed in

the older three-support vault in either the northern aisle or

the cloister.

Edmund Małachowicz, in his research concerning the

architecture of the Dominican Order in Silesia, mentioned

Fig. 3. Opole, the post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows

and St. Wojciech, the central nave – view towards the east

(photo by A. Legendziewicz)

Il. 3. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej

i św. Wojciecha, nawa główna w widoku ku wschodowi

(fot. A. Legendziewicz)

Fig. 4. Opole, the post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows

and St. Wojciech, north aisle – view towards the east

(photo by A. Legendziewicz)

Il. 4. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej

i św. Wojciecha, nawa północna w widoku ku wschodowi

(fot. A. Legendziewicz)

that the convent came to Opole from Wrocław [8, pp. 131–

133]. He considered the eastern bay of the chancel, which

was erected in the 13

century, to be the oldest part of the

church. In the 1

half of the 14

century, the chancel was

enlarged by adding its western part, and in 1361 – the main

nave was constructed. He dated the southern aisle to 1708.

In turn, according to Tadeusz Chrzanowski and Marian

Kornecki [9, pp. 23, 24], [10, p. 35], the rst construction

phase of the church included the eastern part of the chan-

cel, which was built in the 1

half of the 14

century, and

which was characterized by having thicker walls. At the

end of the 14

century, or in the 1

half of the 15

century,

a chapel was added to the chancel. The three-nave basilica

was built in the 14

–15

centuries, and the vault in the

northern aisle was probably constructed in around 1399 or

in the 1

half of the 15

century. These theses were repeat-

ed by Józef Pilch [11, p. 144].

The time of building the church “na Górce” is also

a subject of discussion among historians. Bearing in mind

the knowledge of the territorial development of early me-

dieval Opole, we shall omit the older hypotheses that indi-

cate the origin of the church in the 11

century. Marta Mły-

narska-Kaletynowa, when considering the history of the

cult of St. Wojciech in Poland, opted for the construction

of the church to be in the 12

century [12, p. 145]. Anna

Pobóg-Lenartowicz and Ewa Wółkiewicz, in their works

40 Czesław Lasota, Andrzej Legendziewicz

devoted to the Dominican convent in Opole, denied that

the church dedicated to St. Wojciech was created during

the intensication of his cult at the turn of the 11

and 12

centuries [13, pp. 7–22], [14, pp. 59–88]. According to

Wółkiewicz, it occurred in the middle of the 13

century,

and was founded by Prince Władysław I and his wife Eu-

phemia – daughter of Odonic, the Duke of Wielkopolska

[14, p. 84]. A summary of the state of research referring

to the history of the Opole Dominicans was published by

Pobóg-Lenartowicz [15]. It is also worth noting that the

time of the Dominicans arriving in Opole is also under

debate, with the following being taken into account: the

period from 1254 to 1273, the 1380s and 1390s, and the

period between 1304 and 1307 [13, pp. 7–22].

The considerations presented below are the result of

architectural research conducted by the authors during the

renovation of the church’s façades and the terrace in front

of its western façade [16]–[18]. They were based on the

analysis of construction technology, architectural details,

and source references. The scope of the research enabled

the perimeter walls and the walls at the attic level to be

identied. The results of these works allowed the authors

to verify the theses presented to date in the subject litera-

ture. Particularly valuable for tracing the baroque transfor-

mations within the western façade of the church are: the

view of the monastery complex from the north-west from

around 1750, which was made by Fryderyk B. Werner [19,

drawing reference T3-0249a], and the inventory drawing

of the western façade published in 1939 [6, pp. 89–104]

(Fig. 5). Archival photographs [20], [21] document the

con dition of the western façade after the neo-Romanesque

reconstruction that was carried out in the years 1843–1847

[6, pp. 89–104].

Research results

The oldest fragment of the perimeter walls of the chan-

cel was found on the northern façade on the eastern side

of the chapel (between the chapel and the buttress). Be-

low the windowsill, there is a strip of a single-coloured

surface of about 2.3 m high. The wall was built of bricks

arranged in a regular stretcher bond pattern. The bricks

had dimensions of 8.5–9.2 × 11.5–12.1 × 27–28.2 cm. The

texture of the surface was formed by horizontal and verti-

cal cross-sectional vee joints. The preserved fragment of

the wall may be a relic of the circumferential wall of the

chancel of the rst monastic church, which was proba-

bly erected at the end of the 13

century, and which was

mentioned in a document from 1295 [3, no. 2387], [4,

no. 225]. Traces of brick toothing at the attic level indi-

cate that the chancel of this church could have had a plan

similar to a square with an interior size of about 7.5 ×

7.5 m (Figs. 6a, 7a).

The construction of the Gothic monastic church after

the mid-14

century is conrmed by information from

the Dominican chronicles about the solemn consecration

on three consecutive days from 15 to 17 August 1361 [5,

pp. 71, 72], [6, p. 90]. The construction of the church was

carried out in two stages. In the rst stage, the existing

chancel was probably enlarged by adding an eastern, pro-

Fig. 5. Opole, post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Wojciech, view from the north-west,

engraving from around the mid-18

century. F.B. Werner (source: [19, reference number T3-0249a])

Il. 5. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej i św. Wojciecha, widok od północnego zachodu,

rycina z około połowy XVIII w. F.B. Wernera (źródło: [19, sygn. T3-0249a])

Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole and its transformations 41

bably polygonal, bay. It was the rst to be erected, as

evidenced by the preserved fragments of walls and brick

toothing at the attic level. Sections of the northern and

southern walls, strengthened with buttresses, were added

to them. In line with the rainbow arcade, in the northern

pillar, brick toothing was built to the north (Figs. 7a, b).

The chancel’s interior was covered with three bays of

vaults: two rectangular, and one that was probably on the

plan of ve sides of an octagon. This arrangement of the

vaults is indicated by traces of their supports found in the

attic above the existing vaults. The rst two bays (count-

ing from the west) were 5.0 and 5.3 m long, with the last

one being 4.0 m long. The vaults were probably decorated

with a rib decoration of an unknown arrangement, the rel-

ic of which may be a vault’s boss stone that was discov-

ered during the work in 1933. The interior was illuminat-

ed by ogival windows, three of which are located in the

south wall, and three in the north wall. Their arrangement

is conrmed by the upper parts of the arches, which are

visible in the attic. The size of the windows in the lon-

ger bays was possible to determine on the basis of two

openings that were found on the façades. From the south,

there was an ogival opening in the western bay, which was

1.5 m wide (measured in the outer edge of the glyphs).

It was covered with a one brick thick arch. The second

opening (analogous in form) was located from the north

in the eastern bay. Its height, measured from the sill to the

keystone of the arch, was about 6.6 m. The windows from

the north could have had dierent heights. A chapel was

added adjacent to the western bay, which is mentioned in

a document from 1361 about the consecration of the altar

[5, pp. 71, 72], [6, p. 90]. The intrados of the arches were

covered with thin plaster, relics of which were found in

the opening on the southern side (Figs. 6a, b).

The second stage of shaping the Gothic church was

the construction of a two-nave, four-bay, pseudo-basilica

body. It was erected on a rectangular plan with dimensions

of 28.3 × 15.5 m. Its construction began from the west by

Fig. 6. Opole, post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Wojciech – chronological stratification of the walls:

a) the northern façade of the chancel and the nave, b) the southern façade of the chancel and the central nave above the vaults of the aisle.

Designations: A – late 13

century, B – around 1361, C – around 1399, D – around 1430, E – early 18

century,

F – 19

and 20

centuries, G – brick toothing, H – wall joints, I – reconstruction lines, J – broken wall

(elaborated by A. Legendziewicz, C. Lasota)

Il. 6. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej i św. Wojciecha – chronologiczne rozwarstwienie murów:

a) elewacja północna prezbiterium i korpusu, b) elewacja południowa prezbiterium i nawy głównej nad sklepieniami nawy bocznej.

Oznaczenia: A – schyłek XIII w., B – około 1361 r., C – około 1399 r., D – około 1430 r., E – początek XVIII w., F – XIX i XX w.,

G – strzępia, H – styki murów, I – linie rekonstrukcyjne, J – mur zerwany (oprac. A. Legendziewicz, C. Lasota)

42 Czesław Lasota, Andrzej Legendziewicz

building the western wall and sections of the northern and

inter-nave walls at the height of the rst bay. They were

nished with brick toothing that was protruding towards

the east. The sections of the walls between the toothing

were added tightly to the pillars of the rainbow arcade.

The asymmetric two-aisle western façade was en-

closed with corner buttresses and a buttress arch in line

with the arcades between the aisles. The existence of the

arch is indicated by brick toothing in the form of layers

of bricks (juxtaposed with headers coming out of the face

of the wall, alternately with recessed stretchers). They

protruded from the wall directly above the cornice that

crowned the aisle. The articulation of the western façade

was determined by the windows of the main nave and the

northern aisle. In the case of the rst window, the found

fragments of its jambs allow for its reconstruction. The

ogival opening was covered with a one brick thick arch.

The width of the window (measured in the outer edges

of the glyphs) was equal to 2.5 m, and the height to the

keystone was 6.4 m. The windowsill was placed about

Fig. 7. Opole, post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Wojciech,

the projection of the church with the chronological stratification of the walls: a) at the level of the windows, b) above the vaults.

Designations: A – late 13

century, B – around 1361, C – around 1399, D – around 1430, E – early 18

century,

F – 19

and 20

centuries, G – brick toothing, H – wall joints, I – reconstruction lines, J – broken wall

(elaborated by A. Legendziewicz)

Il. 7. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej i św. Wojciecha,

rzut kościoła z chronologicznym rozwarstwieniem murów: a) na poziomie okien, b) nad sklepieniami.

Oznaczenia: A – schyłek XIII w., B – około 1361 r., C – około 1399 r., D – około 1430 r., E – początek XVIII w.,

F – XIX i XX w., G – strzępia, H – styki murów, I – linie rekonstrukcyjne, J – mur zerwany (oprac. A. Legendziewicz)

Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole and its transformations 43

6.3 m above the level of the current terrace in front of

the entrance. The second opening, which illuminated the

northern aisle, was 1.8 m wide. Its arch was 1/2 a brick

thick. A layer of thin whitewashed plaster with ne-grained

sand was found in its intrados. The glyphs of both open-

ings were built with the use of mouldings that were formed

before ring (Figs. 7a, b).

The rhythm of the southern façade of the nave was pro-

bably determined by four windows located in the axes

of the bays. The location of the two eastern windows is

known, fragments of which are preserved in the attic above

the southern aisle. The remaining openings, with the west-

ern fragment of the façade of the nave, were probably de-

stroyed during the re in 1682 [5, p. 181, 267], [7, p. 888].

The preserved two edges of the window in the rst bay from

the east indicate that the width of the opening on the façade

was equal to 1.7 m. The glyphs were built using similar

ttings as the ones on the western façade. The shape and

height of the windows remain unknown, with the arches

and windowsills being destroyed during the Baroque re-

construction. The western edge of the nave was support-

ed by a diagonal buttress, fragments of which were found

below the level of the present terrace. Lesenes were made

along the wall between the windows. The location of the

rst rainbow arcade, marking the eastern bay of the nave,

is known (Fig. 6b).

The northern aisle was supported by two diagonal but -

tresses, two perpendicular buttresses, and an arch in line

with the rst pillar (from the west). Relics of 75 cm thick

perpendicular buttresses, and the bases of the arch, were

found on the wall surface after the removal of the cement

plaster. Four ogival windows were built in the axes of

the bays: two 2.3 m wide (from the east), and two 1.8 m

wide (from the west). The identied edges of the window

openings, together with the one brick thick ogival arches

and slanted glyphs, were made of brick ttings that were

formed before ring. The two narrower western windows

were made in the place of technical openings, and they

had brick toothing on their sides. The upper parts of the

arches were dismantled, and the present roof was in-

stalled

(Fig. 6a).

The longer façades of the central nave were crowned

with a ceramic cornice made of brick ttings: concave

headers and single cant bricks. The cornice is preserved

along almost the entire length of the northern wall in the

attic part above the nave. The traces of wooden construc-

tions that are visible below it indicate that the northern

aisle was originally covered with a shed roof with a lower

pitch than at present. Its base was a ceramic cornice of

a currently unknown prole – its forged relic was found

on the façade three layers of bricks above the arch of the

nave’s window.

The texture and colours of the Gothic façade were made

of bricks measuring 7.7–9 × 10.8–12.0 × 24.5–25.7 cm,

which were arranged in a regular two-colour stretcher

The reconstruction of the Gothic window, which is exhibited in

the western bay of the northern aisle, has an arch embedded below the

original window.

bond pattern. The surface consisted of stretchers (in a red

to vermilion colour) and headers (in dark brown to black

colour), some of which with enamel eusion. Vertical

joints were formed as at in a vee shape, and horizontal

joints as at in a struck shape.

The 7.4 m wide nave probably had a ceiling. Relics of

plaster coatings, which are preserved in the attic above

the baroque vaults, suggest that the interior was plastered

and whitewashed immediately after its construction. The

narrower and lower northern aisle (4.3 m wide) received

a rib vault, the geometry of which was probably consistent

with the one reconstructed in 1933 [6, p. 92]. The individ-

ual bays might have been separated by rib arches placed

on either the imposts in the perimeter walls or the lesenes

(with proled edges) in the inter-nave pillars. The brick

ribs of the vault decoration were based on corbels. Ogival

arches with a thickness of 1.5 brick were placed between

the pillars (Figs. 4, 8).

The next phase of the transformation of the church’s

architecture probably took place in around 1399. Accord-

ing to the Dominican chronicles, the founder of the re-

construction of the temple and the monastery was Włady -

sław II Opolczyk [5, pp. 71, 72]. The probable reason for

starting the work could be the destruction or damage of

the monastery buildings during the siege of Opole by the

Polish army led by King Władyslaw Jagiełło in the sum-

mer of 1396 [22, p. 72], [23, p. 237]

. The scope of recon-

struction included the enlargement of the chancel towards

the east, and also probably the construction of a brick

monastery wing in place of the wooden one. The chancel

was extended in around 1399 to the east by about 11.5 m.

The existing polygonal closure was demolished in the

The location in the south-eastern corner of the city, right next to

the walls, may also have contributed to the destruction of the convent

buildings

Fig. 8. Opole, post-Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows

and St. Wojciech, northern aisle, detail of the upper part

of the pillar and the tas-de-charge of the inter-nave arcades

(photo by A. Legendziewicz)

Il. 8. Opole, kościół podominikański pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej

i św. Wojciecha, nawa północna, detal górnej partii filara

i spływu arkad międzynawowych (fot. A. Legendziewicz)

44 Czesław Lasota, Andrzej Legendziewicz

place of the inclination of the southern and northern

façades. The new chancel was designed on a rectangular

plan with

a closure in the form of ve sides of an octagon

(Figs. 7a, b).

The walls of this part were built wider (about 1.8 m

wide) than the previous ones. They were supported by

three buttresses in the corners of the polygon. The interior

was probably covered with a new vault that most likely

had ve bays. Traces of it can be found in the western,

northern and southern walls. From the west, the vault was

based on a newly built wall located in line with the rain-

bow arcade. Within the range of the northern and south-

ern walls of the older part of the chancel, the vault was

embedded in cut-out supports in the form of grooves of

various widths and depths. In the southern wall of the

younger part of the chancel, the outline of one fragment

of a brick web of the vault can be seen. The arrangement

of the ribs remains unknown. The interior was illuminated

by at least nine ogival windows, out of which two from

the north and two from the south were within the chancel

that was consecrated in 1361. The window on the south

side, in the second bay from the west, was moved to the

west. Its jambs were built with cut bricks, and the intrados

was covered with whitewashed lime plaster. The change

in the location of the opening was probably dictated by the

location of the building (to the east), which was adjacent

to the walls of the chancel. It was most likely the monas-

tery wing that was mentioned in the Dominican chronicles

[5, pp. 71, 72] (Figs. 6b, 7a).

Another ve windows were placed in the added part of

the building. Three of them were introduced in a polyg-

onal closure, and one on the eastern edges of the south-

ern and northern façades. The preserved edges of the last

of them indicate that they were about 1.8 m wide and

covered with a one brick thick arch. The openings were

decorated with stone traceries with jambs that had a dou-

ble-cavity prole. Next to the southern glyph of the win-

dow of the eastern wall of the three-sided closure, above

the windowsill, a fragment of a stone mullion was found.

The surface of the added closure of the chancel was made

of bricks measuring 7.8–9.0 × 12.0–13.0 × 25–26.5 cm,

which were arranged in a regular stretcher bond pattern.

Unfortunately, no preserved joints were found within the

range of the wall surface.

The church was probably renovated in the Gothic peri-

od, which may be indicated by the mention that describes

the rededication of the church in 1430 [6, p. 90]. It was

probably during these works that an outbuilding was added

to the northern façade of the nave. It was located next to

the second (counting from the east) bay of the aisle. Traces

of a cut vault preserved above the roof of the present porch

indicate that the interior was covered with a one brick thick

vault. Below it, a fragment of a one brick thick arch was

found, which was most likely an ogival arcade or a door-

way. Both structures were made of bricks with dimensions

of 7.6–8.4 × 12.1–13.0 × 27.0–27.5 cm (Figs. 6a, 7a).

The church and the monastery buildings burned down

during the re of Opole on June 5, 1682 [4, pp. 181, 267],

[6, p. 888]. As a result of the re, the vaults and the

south-western corner of the central nave were destroyed.

In the rst stage of the reconstruction, which was prob-

ably carried out in the years 1701–1708 [6, p. 90], the

southern wall of the central nave (within two bays, and

half of the third bay – counting from the west) was built.

Three new window openings (1.7 m wide) and one pre-

served Gothic window in the eastern bay were covered

with segmental arches. The edges of their jambs enter the

vault above the aisle. The new part of the wall was erected

using new bricks, and also those taken from the demoli-

tion of medieval buildings. The bricks had dimensions of

6.5–7.2 × 13.4–14.0 × 27.0–29.0 cm, and were arranged

in an irregular bond pattern – in some places in an English

bond pattern. The wall within the attic above the aisle was

not plastered (Figs. 6b, 7a).

The layout of the window openings in the chancel was

also changed. The new ones were arranged in axes in two

levels – one above the other – and pierced almost in the

place of the Gothic ones. The upper one (4.10 m high), with

straight jambs, was covered with half brick thick segmen-

tal arches. The lower opening had a similar shape, and its

height was at least 1.7 m. The width of both openings, mea-

sured between the edges of the jambs, was equal to 1.5 m.

The height of the window openings in the nave indi-

cates that originally there was a plan to rebuild the two-

nave body. The lack of plaster coatings suggests, however,

that the works may not have been completed.

The re in 1739 [5, pp. 201, 207, 268], [7, p. 888] re-

sulted in further damage to the monastery buildings. The

view of the monastery complex with a baroque façade,

known from Werner’s drawing, proves that its reconstruc-

tion was completed before the mid-18

century [19, ref.

Fig. T1-0249a]. The body of the church, which is visible

in the drawing, has a three-nave layout. The southern aisle,

built during the reconstruction of the church, was designed

as a four-bay structure. During its construction, semi-cir-

cular arcades were pierced in the ground oor of the south-

ern façade of the nave. In the axes of the pillars, lesenes

were placed, and on them a barrel vault with lunettes was

supported. From the south, semi-circular windows with

stepped jambs were installed in each of the bays (Fig. 5).

The Baroque decor of the western façade can be seen

in engravings made by Werner. The nave, crowned with

a cornice, was separated from the side aisles by pilasters.

On the axis, there was a portal framed by columns placed

on pedestals, which was topped with a broken pediment.

Above the entrance, there was a high window covered with

an arch, with the oculus being placed above it. The gable

rising above the cornice was framed by pilasters support-

by volutes. They formed the basis of a semi-circular

tympanum with a cross. In the façade of each of the aisles,

there were two openings – one above the other. Examina-

tion of the western wall of the northern aisle shows that

the lower opening had a segmental shape. The construc-

tion works were carried out using bricks burnt in colours

ranging from red to cherry (6.2–7.0 × 11.0–12.5 × 26.0–

27.3 cm), which were arranged in the English bond pattern.

On October 30, 1810, the secularization decree was

promulgated. On its basis, the Opole Dominican convent

left the monastery buildings on November 24, 1810 [24,

pp. 19–22].

Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole and its transformations 45

References

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2018, 5–16, doi: 10.5277/DZAR_D_2019.

Conclusions

The multi-stage research of the Dominican church, the

so-called “na Górce” in Opole, enabled the transforma-

tions of its architecture to be outlined from probably the

end of the 13

century until the 1

half of the 18

century.

In the existing structure of the church, it was not possible

to nd the remains of the rst municipal parish church

from the 13

century, but relics of the chancel’s wall – of

probably a monastic church mentioned in 1295 – were

found. In addition, it was possible to discuss the layout

and architecture of the church, which was consecrated in

August 1361. This church consisted of a three-bay chan-

cel and a four-bay two-aisle asymmetrical body. The the-

ses regarding the current eastern closure of the chancel,

which was probably built in around 1399, were veried.

The research results also allowed for the determination of

the scope and chronology of the transformations of the

church in the Baroque period, which were carried out after

the res in 1682 and 1739. The scope of the latter works

seems particularly interesting due to the abandoned and

uncompleted concept of an asymmetric, two-nave body

with high windows on the southern side.

The research results presented above shed new light on

the form of the building of the Gothic monastic church

from around 1361, as well as on the chronology and scope

of its transformations. They also prove that analyses

that are based only on literature and the general view of

a building, which are conducted by a researcher without

an architecture workshop, lead to supercial ndings that

are often signicantly dierent from reality. The research

results presented above, along with the publications con-

cerning convent churches in Wrocław [25, pp. 11–50] or

Lewin Brzeski [26, pp. 5–16], are also an important voice

in the discussion regarding the shaping and evolution of

the architecture of Dominican churches in Silesia.

Translated by

Zuzanna Fyall

46 Czesław Lasota, Andrzej Legendziewicz

Abstract

Medieval architecture of the Dominican church in Opole (the so-called “na Górce”)

and its transformations from the end of the 13

century to the beginning of the 18

century

The article concerns the transformations of the architecture of the Dominican church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Wojciech (the so-called “na

Górce”) in Opole. The paper presents the results of original architectural research conducted from 2008 to 2017. Previous analyses regarding the

construction and transformation of the church “na Górce” are based on the ndings of pre-war researchers, which relied on a general inspection of

the plastered building. The discussed architectural research enabled the scope of the original monastic church, and its expansion from around 1361,

to be distinguished. This also applies to the enlargement of the chancel and its adaptation, as well as to the construction of a two-nave, four-bay nave.

The chancel of this church was enlarged in around 1399 by adding a polygonal eastern closure, and the church itself was probably renovated and

enlarged in around 1430 by the construction of an outbuilding adjacent to the nave. The presented research results signicantly change the previously

published description concerning the construction and transformation of the architecture of the Dominican church in Opole.

Key words: Silesia, architecture, Middle Ages, church, Dominicans, Opole

Streszczenie

Średniowieczna architektura kościoła dominikańskiego w Opolu (tzw. na Górce)

i jej przekształcenia od schyłku XIII w. do początku XVIII w.

Tematem artykułu są przekształcenia architektury kościoła dominikańskiego pw. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej i św. Wojciecha (tzw. na Górce) w Opolu.

W pracy przedstawiono rezultaty autorskich badań architektonicznych prowadzonych między 2009 a 2017 r. Dotychczasowe analizy powstania

i przekształceń kościoła na Górce opierają się na ustaleniach badaczy przedwojennych bazujących na ogólnym oglądzie otynkowanej budowli.

Omówione badania architektoniczne umożliwiły wydzielenie zasięgu pierwotnego kościoła zakonnego oraz jego rozbudowy około 1361 r. obejmu-

jącej powiększenie prezbiterium i dostosowanie go do funkcji chóru zakonnego, a także wzniesienie dwunawowego, czteroprzęsłowego korpusu.

Prezbiterium tej świątyni powiększono o wieloboczne wschodnie zamknięcie około 1399 r., a kościół odnowiono i powiększono o przybudówkę

przy korpusie zapewne około 1430 r. Nowożytne przekształcenia bryły kościoła związane są ze wzniesieniem nawy południowej oraz przebudową

korpusu i szczytu zachodniego po dwóch pożarach w 1682 i 1739 r. Zaprezentowane wyniki badań znacząco zmieniają dotychczas publikowany

obraz powstania i przekształceń architektury kościoła dominikańskiego w Opolu.

Słowa kluczowe: Śląsk, architektura, średniowiecze, kościół, dominikanie, Opole