St Nicholas' Church in Szczecin

The ruins of St Nicholas' Church lie in Śmierdnica, today part of Szczecin, on Nauczycielska Street. They are the remnant of a Gothic church from the second half of the 15th century, destroyed during the Second World War. The building is a ruin and no longer serves for worship or for visits to the interior.

History

The church was first recorded in the sources in 1492 as a branch of the church in Płonia. It was built of stone and brick, a single-hall church on a rectangular plan of 14 by 9.4 metres, without a separate chancel. In the 18th century a wooden tower, in which two bells hung, was added to the west wall. The interior was covered by a beam ceiling, and the furnishings included an altar from 1599, choir stalls from 1574, a font from 1665 and two Gothic sculptures of the Virgin and Child. A cemetery adjoined the church.

The ruin

After the war the walls and part of the roof remained of the building, the interior had already been stripped of its furnishings, and the bells had been taken down and melted down, probably still during the hostilities. After 1945 the church fell into ruin. According to the Wikipedia entry, only the badly damaged south wall and the remains of the north-west corner have survived.

Practical information

• Location: Nauczycielska Street, Szczecin-Śmierdnica.
• The ruins can be viewed from outside; going inside is not advised because of the state of the walls.
• The nearest is the Church of the Holy Family.