Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sławno

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, formerly dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist, is the Gothic parish church of Sławno and the largest building in the town. It is run by a Catholic parish with the same dedication.

Brick Gothic of the 14th century

According to the Wikipedia entry, the church was founded in 1326-1364 by Duchess Sophia, wife of Barnim IV, and the patronage was then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The heritage register gives the date 1331. The furnishing of the church continued until the second half of the 15th century. The pearl was a Renaissance altar, which did not survive the Second World War.

The building stands on a rectangular plan with a projecting chancel. A chapel and a sacristy were added later, so that together they form a ring, characteristic of Gothic. The foundation is of Swedish granite, and the red of the brick is relieved by black motifs of specially fired brick. The portals on the west and south consist of five pointed-arch frames laid in steps of profiled brick. A pointed-arch frieze runs around the tower, and its main decorative motif is blind windows.

From a Protestant church to rebuilding

From the 16th century the church was Protestant, and it returned to Catholics after the Second World War. After Soviet troops entered Sławno on 7 March 1945 the church was destroyed. The rebuilding was carried out by the Franciscan order and lasted until the end of the 1950s. The Franciscan Fr Rafał Rogatti then created a triptych on Marian themes, and the Stations of the Cross were made by A. Trzeszkowski.

Furnishings

The interior is modest: a triptych on the high altar, bas-relief Stations of the Cross, a pulpit from the 1950s, an 18th-century font, a 16th-century baptismal bowl and an 18th-century painting “Circumcision”. In front of the church stands a monument to the Primate of the Millennium, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, carved by Zygmunt Wujek. A crucifix of about 1420 and a 17th-century epitaph from this church can today be seen in the National Museum in Szczecin.

Practical information

• Address: plac Ks. Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego 2, Sławno.
• Opening hours and Mass times are given by the parish; check them on site or in the parish notices.
• Next door, about 300 m away, stands the town hall in Sławno.
• A little further away is the Church of St Anthony of Padua.