St. Joseph's Church (Polish: ''Kościół Świętego Józefa'', ) in
Zabrze
Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: , full form: , , ) is an industrial city put under direct government rule in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the western part of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of around 2 m ...
is a Roman Catholic church built from 1930-1931 in the
Expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
style. It is one of several
Brick Expressionist buildings designed by
Dominikus Böhm
Dominikus Böhm (23 October 1880 – 6 August 1955) was a German architect specializing in churches. He built churches in Cologne, the Ruhr area, Swabia, and Hesse. Many of his buildings are examples of Brick Expressionism.
Life and career
...
(1880–1955). It is located on the southwest side of central Zabrze at Ulica Franklina Roosevelta 104.
History
Groundbreaking for the church began on 31 August 1930. The parish of St. Joseph was founded in 1931, taking over part of the territory of
St. Andrew's Parish, and the new church was completed in December 1931. On 4 September 1932, St. Joseph's Church was festively consecrated by Cardinal
Adolf Bertram
Adolf Bertram (14 March 1859 – 6 July 1945) was archbishop of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and a cardinal of the Catholic Church.
Early life
Adolf Bertram was born in Hildesheim, Royal Prussian Province of Hanover (now Lower Saxony), Germa ...
(1859–1945), the
Archbishop of Breslau.
Architecture
The church's entrance represents the "Porta Sacra" (Gateway to Heaven), with two round archways supporting a masonry screen of 12 smaller arches. On the east side is a tower with 40 arched windows representing the 40 years the Israelites
wandered through the Sinai from Egypt to Canaan.
The interior is 67.5 meters long and 26 meters wide. The presbytery with the altar is elevated 2 meters above the floor; underneath that is a Miner's Chapel with 10 arched windows, featuring an altar to
St. Barbara built by miners out of coal in the 1930s.
One of the stained glass windows in the church shows three scenes from scriptures concerning the Eucharist, and another shows the Holy Family. Behind and above the entrance is a
rose window
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
.
References
* Dariusz Walerjański: ''Zabrze - Schritt für Schritt'', 2006
External links
Parish of St. Joseph in Zabrze(in Polish)
Sights and attractions in Zabrze(in Polish)
*
{{coord, 50.295170, N, 18.771353, E, type:landmark, display=title
Zabrze Joseph
Zabrze Joseph
1931 establishments in Poland
Zabrze Joseph
Buildings and structures in Zabrze