Church of Our Lady of Ostra Brama in Sławęcin

The Church of Our Lady of Ostra Brama in Sławęcin is a 16th-century church of fieldstone masonry, with a wooden bell tower of 1695, furnishings from the 17th century and a bell of 1568.

Body and tower

The heritage register gives the dating of 1520, and the Wikipedia entry says generally the 16th century. The church is a hall building on a rectangular plan, covered with a gabled roof, with plastered outer walls. The windows in the nave are set high and closed with a segmental arch. The east gable was rebuilt and has a rose window with stained glass, and in the east wall are two pointed-arch windows. On the west a wooden bell tower clad in boards, of 1695, covered with a pyramidal roof, adjoins it.

Furnishings and the bell

The interior is covered with a wooden beam ceiling. Furnishings from the 17th century have survived: a wooden altar with wings, a pulpit and a choir gallery. A bell of 1568, 84 cm in diameter, cast by the bell-founder Jost van Westen, hangs in the tower. The church was blessed as a Catholic one on 24 September 1945; today it is filial, in the parish of St Andrew Bobola in Piasecznik.

In the area stand, among others, the church in Piasecznik and the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Choszczno.

Practical information

• Place: Sławęcin, Choszczno County, Choszczno municipality.
• This is an active church, so visiting the interior depends on services. Opening hours are best checked with the parish.