St Hyacinth's Church in Stepnica

St Hyacinth's Church in Stepnica was built in 1741 on the plan of a Greek cross, which is a great rarity in West Pomerania. The walls were built using the half-timbered technique, but since the plastering in 1840 it has not been visible. The church was previously Protestant and is now a parish church.

History

According to the Wikipedia entry, the first church in the parish area was founded in the village of Świętowice during the missionary journeys of St Otto of Bamberg to Pomerania, in 1124 and 1128. Later a church and a convent of Poor Clares stood in or near Stepnica, and the Knights Hospitaller also stayed here. The first mention of a parish priest dates from 1406. The medieval church was destroyed by fire in 1564, and the church built on its site lasted until the first half of the 18th century, when it was demolished. Construction of the next one was interrupted by a fire. The present church of 1741 is the next in this line.

In 1997 a fire seriously damaged the tower, which was soon rebuilt. In front of the church today stand cracked bells, damaged in that fire.

Interior

The church is covered by a raised, boarded ceiling. Inside is a partly rebuilt Baroque pulpit altar: the pulpit basket was detached from the altar and fixed to the chancel wall, while the canopy remained at the altar. The wooden side galleries, the choir gallery and pews from the mid-18th century have also survived, along with an incomplete organ case. The church was entered in the heritage register in 1963.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Władysława Sikorskiego, Stepnica.
• On the Szczecin Lagoon, not far away, lies the port in Stepnica, about 500 m from the church, and in Police municipality the church in Trzebież, about 7 km away.
• Service times and the possibility of going inside are given by the parish; check them before your visit.