St Mary's Church in Chojna

St Mary's Church in Chojna is one of the largest Gothic churches in Poland. The three-aisled hall church was built in 1389-1407 and extended in the 15th century, and its mass is decorated with glazed brick. A neo-Gothic tower rises over the town, which the Wikipedia entry describes as measuring 102.6 m. After the fire of 1945 the church stood as a ruin for a long time, and today it is being rebuilt step by step.

The Gothic church of the 15th century

The first church on this site was built just after the founding of the town in the second half of the 13th century. In the second half of the 14th century its chancel was pulled down and construction of a new Gothic church began. The first part was consecrated in 1407, and the second stage was completed in 1459 with the act of consecration of the church enlarged by three bays of the nave. In the end a six-bay hall without a transept came into being, resting at the west on a massive tower and closed at the east by a polygonal choir with an ambulatory. Authorship is attributed to the workshop of Hinrich Brunsberg.

The tower after the disaster of 1843

The church survived almost untouched until 2 July 1843. On that day the south-west corner of the medieval tower collapsed and destroyed the Chapel of St Anne. The new tower was designed by Friedrich August Stüler and built in 1855-1861 of brick and, to a small degree, of stone. It had a neo-Gothic form and was about 100 m high. In 1932-1933 the tower was strengthened and rebuilt, which deformed its original mass.

The fire of 1945 and reconstruction

According to the entry, on 16 February 1945, as a result of arson, the roof truss, the vaults and nine inter-aisle pillars burned down, together with the furnishings of the body of the church, as well as the spire of the tower and all the floors inside it. The perimeter walls and the tower up to a height of about 80 m survived. The church stood as an open ruin, despite several attempts at securing it in 1952-1990, and was placed under legal protection in 1956.

Reconstruction began in 1994-1997 by covering the body of the church with a tented roof. Because 9 of the 14 pillars had disappeared, the new supports were designed in a neutral form in modern technology. The renovation of the tower went on in 1998-1999 and 2000-2008. The crown of the spire was recreated in the form of an octagonal pyramid, and the tower reached, according to the entry, a height of 98 m, so the entry gives two different values in different places: 102.6 m and 98 m.

In 2007-2009 the clock storey was adapted as a viewing terrace. The replacement of the roof covering lasted from 2012 to 2020 and for that time made it impossible to open the terrace. A concept for rebuilding the interior vaults has not yet been developed.

On screen

One of the scenes of the film Europa by Lars von Trier was shot in the church.

Nearby

The church stands in the town centre, next to the Town Hall in Chojna (about 100 m).

Not far away is also the Świecka Gate, about 300 m from the church.

Practical information

• Location: Chojna, Gryfino County; the building is in the heritage register (numbers 86 of 1956 and A-1034 of 2012).
• The viewing terrace on the tower was open after the renovation of 2007-2009; the parish gives information on its present availability after the completion of the roofing work.
• The interior of the body of the church is being rebuilt, so do not expect recreated vaults.