CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL IN OLEŚNO

Church of of St. Michael the Archangel, located right by the Market Square, is one of the oldest sacral buildings in Oleśno. It is called the “mother of Oleśno churches”. The original church on this site was consecrated by the bishop of Wrocław Wawrzyniec. In 1353 the Duke of Opole Bolko II brought to this site the Order of Augustinians who cared for the parish for more than 400 years. In 1374 a new church along with a convent school was built. After the fires in the 16th and the 17th centuries the church was rebuilt, while following the great fire of 1722 it was re-erected in its current form. In the 1890s a new 44-meter-high tower was added. The church features a rectangular three-span nave. Many types of vaults can be seen in the interior, including barrel vaults and barrel-groin vaults. The inside of the church is adorned by stucco decorations, and the rich Baroque interior dates to the 17th and 18th centuries. The Baroque high altar features a painting of St. Michael the Archangel modelled on Raphael’s painting. Two figures, of St. Peter the Apostle and of St. Paul, stand in the side sections of the altar

. The Baroque side altars are also worth noting, the first of them featuring a crowned image of Our Lady of Oleśno, adorned with a silver robe, the other a representation of The Holy Trinity.