BASILICA OF ST. JAMES AND ST. AGNES IN NYSA

A Minor Basilica - the largest and most important Nysa church dedicated to St. James and St. Agnes. It is the only monument in Nysa, in which we can "read" about the entire history of our city. In terms of volume, it is one of the mightiest Gothic churches in Poland. Its 4,000-square meter roof is among the steepest in Europe. The roof is covered with Monk and Nun tiles. The church has all the features of the Gothic. It is oriented, and its hall layout gives the effect of immense space. Inside, there are symbolic columns, 12 on each side of the central nave, with 12 grey bands on each column, and 12 rows of bricks between the bands. A 1598 candle chandelier from Tinzmann hangs in the central nave. The modest Gothic triptych in the main altar is a remnant of the 43 altars in the side chapels. Eight bishops of Wrocław are buried in the church, which makes it the largest assemblage of bishops' tombstones in Silesia after the Wrocław Cathedral. In 2009, the church received the honorary title of Minor Basilica from Pope Benedict XVI, and the President of Poland named it a Historic Monument. Valuable paintings by Dürer and Willmann adorn the church which was visited by, among others, the King of Poland Władysław IV Vasa. Next to it stands the bell tower modelled on the Italian Campanilla. The never-completed 45-meter 4-storey tower was intended by its original authors to be approximately 100-meters high. The Treasury of St. James was established within its walls.