Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene () in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, is a

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

church located between Szewska and Laciarska street close to the central

market square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. A market square is an open area where market stalls are tradit ...

, established in the 13th century. It serves as a cathedral of the Polish Catholic Church led by Piotr Mikołajczak. Along with the Old Town of Wrocław, it is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland. On 21 October 1523, the city's first

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

services were held in the church. The church is named after Jesus' companion

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

Description

During the Second World War the church was seriously damaged. In 1945 the legendary Sinner's Bell, which was the biggest

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

n bell, was also damaged. St Mary Magdalene was rebuilt during the period 1947–1953. The most precious relic of the church is a Romanesque portal dating from the 12th century, coming from a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery in Ołbin that had been torn down in the 16th century. The bridge connecting the two towers is called the "Mostek Czarownic" (Witches’ Bridge). A legend says that the shadows visible on the bridge are the souls of the girls who used to seduce men without wanting to be married, being scared of housekeeping. 240px, Romanesque portal

Bibliography

*Malgorzata Urlich-Kornacka ''A guide to Wrocław'' *Beata Maciejewska ''Spacerownik Wrocławski''

References

External links

Virtual tour
Churches in Wrocław Brick Gothic Wroclaw Wroclaw Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches Old Catholic church buildings Gothic architecture in Wrocław Rebuilt buildings and structures in Wrocław Rebuilt churches in Poland {{Old-Catholic-stub