The Collegiate Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary () is a Gothic

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; ; ; ) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse (Nysa Kłodzka) river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko County (and of the ru ...

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 ...

, one of the landmarks of its Old Town. It was constructed from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries, and houses the remains of

Arnošt of Pardubice Arnošt of Pardubice (, ; 25 March 1297 – 30 June 1364) was the first List of bishops and archbishops of Prague, Archbishop of Prague (and the last bishop). He was also an advisor and diplomat to Emperor Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Charl ...

, the first

Archbishop of Prague The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The current Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bi ...

. The church possesses rich historical decorations and furnishings, including a Gothic vault, portal,

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

, Gothic and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

sculptures and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

altars,

confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall where the priest from some Christian denominations sits to hear the confessions of a penitent's sins. It is the traditional venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Luther ...

s and organs. The high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

was designed and built by the Tyrolean architect Christoph Tausch in the years 1728–1729. In 1948–1949, it was the first parish

Karol Wojtyła Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. H ...

, the future

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, was assigned his first

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

assignment after completing his

graduate studies Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...

in Rome and returning to Poland.

Gallery

1119viki Kłodzko. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg, Church and Baroque gate seen from an Old Town street 2014 Kłodzko, kościół Wniebowzięcia NMP 06.jpg, Interior 2014 Kłodzko, kościół Wniebowzięcia NMP 07.jpg, Gothic vault 1126viki Kłodzko. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg, Baroque confessionals 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Poland Burial sites of the Piast dynasty Kłodzko

Gothic architecture in Poland {{Poland-RC-church-stub