Basilicas in Poland—Katowice
Cathedral Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Opole, Opole
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1934.
The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Opole. The church was built in the 15th Century to replace earlier churches dating to 1005. It is mostly Gothic in design but does have some Baroque altars. The church has a painting of Our Lady of Opole dating to around 1500.
The first picture is from a local source and the other two are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Bartholomew the Apostle, Piekary Slaskie, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.
A church was built here at least by 1303 and later contained the painting of Our Lady of Opole. Miracles were soon attributed to Our Lady’s intercession and pilgrims started coming to the church. The painting was moved to the Church of the Holy Cross in Opole in 1702 for safety reasons and remains there. A reproduction of the painting was done for this church which again attracted pilgrims. The current brick neo-Romanesque church was built in the first half of the 19th Century. The town has a tradition of putting on a Passion play yearly.
From Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Louis the King and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Katowice-Panewniki, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1974.
This neo-Romanesque church was built in the first decade of the 20th Century as part of a Franciscan monastery. Its nativity scene is the largest altar nativity in Europe. About 80 Franciscans live there today.
From local sources.
St. Anne’s Basilica, Gora Swietej Anny, Opole
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1980.
The history of this church is somewhat vague. Construction began in 1485 but wasn’t completed until sometime in the 17the Century. The church is built on a hill and has an ancient statue of St. Anne holding the infant Mary. The church was administered by the Franciscans but fell on hard times during Prussian rule in the 19th Century. The Franciscans have since returned.
From Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Rybnik, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1993.
The Neo-Gothic church was constructed between 1903 and 1906. It was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. Despite conflicts with Communist officials, the church was rebuilt by 1960.
From a local source.
Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pszow, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
The church was built between 1743 and 1747 and contains a painting depicting Our Lady of Pszow. The painting likely dates to the early 18th Century.
All are from local sources.
Basilica of St. Adalbert, Mikolow, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
The town has had a church since the 12th Century. The current Neo-Romanesque church was built between 1843 and 1861. Construction was delayed due to poor construction and lack of financial resources.
From a local source.
Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Rudy, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
The Cistercians built an abbey here in the 13th Century and built the current building as an abbey church around 1300. This Gothic and Romanesque church was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th Centuries which added Baroque elements. The Red Army destroyed the church in 1945. Reconstruction and renovation of the brick and sandstone church continued until 2000. The church has a 13th Century painting called “Our Lady of the Humble.”
The first two pictures are from the basilica website and the other two are from local sources.
Basilica of St. James the Apostle and St. Agnes, Nysa, Opole
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
This church was built in the 14th and 15th Centuries to replace a 12th Century church. The original church was destroyed in 1241 by during the Tatar invasion. The current church was built in the 15th Century but has changed styles when rebuilt due to war or fire. Today, it is mostly neo-Gothic. The bishops of Wroclaw lived in Nysa from 1650 to 1810 and frequently used this church as their cathedral, although it never had official cathedral status.
Pictures are from Alamy and Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Stephen and Our Lady of Bogucka, Katowice, Silesia
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2015.
The red-brick and stone neo-Gothic church was built in the 1890s. A 15th Century statue on the main altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Bogucka.
From a local source.
