The 18th-century St Onufry’s Chapel in Stronie Śląskie is one of the region’s most valuable monuments, having served various religious and social functions over the centuries. The recent flooding, which devastated much of Lower Silesia, caused huge losses, including serious damage to this Baroque gem, less than a decade after it had been thoroughly renovated.
The Baroque Chapel of St Onufry was built in 1734-1735 by Count Johann Olivier von Wallis, a local magnate who decided to honour the saint with this building. The building served as a place of pilgrimage, a court temple and a branch church. In the 18th century, an Altharistic hermit resided there. After the Second World War, the church was no longer used and fell into disrepair over the years.
The chapel in Stronie Śląskie in the 1950s. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The area surrounding the building was soon turned into a sports field, which further degraded the building. In 1971, the northern annex was demolished, and at the same time the chapel was placed under conservation protection, but this did not stop its deterioration. A concrete fence fused to the building made it part of the sports facilities, and the building began to be used as a toilet. Eventually, the ceiling collapsed, the altars and paintings were destroyed, and the windows and doors were temporarily bricked up, leaving the chapel in ruins.
In 2007, the local municipality took over the chapel and began efforts to restore it. After several years, funding for the restoration was obtained, largely with the support of EU funds. In 2014, renovation work began and was completed a year later. The reconstruction, which cost almost PLN 1.73 million, was carried out by the VIBUD construction and conservation company from Kraków, based on an architectural design by the HTM company of Henryk Markiewicz.
The chapel in Stronie Śląskie in 2007 and 2015. Photo: Mariusz Burszta, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons and Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons
The chapel has not only regained its former splendour, but has become the venue for numerous cultural events – concerts, exhibitions and vernissages. Its surroundings have also been cared for, with the concrete fence removed and replaced by paths, benches and lighting installed. The building has also been given new life as a venue for civil weddings.
The temple before and after the flood damage. Photo: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons and Sylwia Cichoń
Unfortunately, now the Baroque chapel is once again in dire straits. The flood that swept through Lower Silesia in recent days caused damage to the surroundings, furnishings, chancel and parts of the walls of the church. The water dramatically changed the town’s landscape – the police station and much of the road infrastructure disappeared, and many buildings were completely ruined or damaged. Losses in Stronie Śląskie are provisionally estimated at one billion zlotys, and the future of St Onufry’s Chapel remains uncertain. The building, rebuilt with great care, is now in danger of collapsing.
Source: Rekonstrukcje i odbudowy, tvn24.pl
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