Artykuł Wirtualny spacer pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

The first church according to the tradition was supposed to be built in this place during the reign of the Polish king Bolesław I the Brave in 1002 – 1005. In 1024, Wrocław Bishop Clemens gave the church an extremely precious item: the Holy Cross relics which have been kept here until today. He received them from Saint Emeric, the son of the Hungarian King Saint Stephan, who brought them to Wrocław.

According to another historical version, the relics were brought to Opole from the Crusade by Casmir I of Opole. The same of one who founded Opole in 1217. One thing is sure – the relics got to the Opole temple and they have been stored here for almost 1000 years now. The relics raised the significance of the temple and the Opole borough. They was so important to the city that they had an impact on its coat of arms whose designers combined the Piast eagle with a half of the Holy Cross.

In about 1232, a collegiate church chapter was set up at the Opole church and the church became a collegiate church. As a result, in the middle of XIIIth century, the temple needed to be expanded. The expansion was finished due to generosity of duke Bolesław I in 1295. It was built in a style a late of Roman basilica.

The history of the Opole Cathedral is also full of dramatic events. The fires, which were destroying the city, didn’t pass by the church. One of the most tragic fires was the one in 1415 which started on a hot summer day when the church was struck by a thunder. Only few items were saved from the fire, one of them was most certainly the stone font and reliquary with a fragment of the Holy Cross. Another tragic fire took place in 1615, also in the summer, when a strong wind moved the fire from the castle to the city buildings and the collegiate church. There were as many as 100 casualties who died in the fire. The city burned down and the flames were so strong that they melted even the church bells.

The Opole Piast dynasty always supported the collegiate church, however the most generous of them was Jan II the Good. His will was to rest in this temple. His wish was respected and thus he was buried with honors in a collegiate church after his death in 1532.  Nowadays, his sarcophagus is in the Piast Chapel.

During the reign of Jan II the Good, the church was renovated and rebuilt in the late gothic style. Two side naves were expanded to the size of the presbytery. There were also two side chapels built on the northern and on the southern sides of the cathedral.

The Opole Cathedral was affected not only by fires but also the wars. In 1634, during the Thirty Years’ War, the city and the church were plundered by the Swedish army. The second World War saved the collegiate church apart from the towers and the roof which were damaged  during shelling.

The temple has also experienced  breakthroughs connected with its renovations. The rebuilding changed its shape and look. Apart from the already mentioned new construction of the collegiate church in the XIIIth century and the redevelopment after the fire in the XVIth century, there was a major renovation of the roof in 1724, when the wooden shingles were replaced with roof tiles. In 1899 -1900, the next investment was made.  Two tampering neo-gothic towers, each 73 meter-high, were built. The look of the elevation was also changed by revealing its brick texture.

The next extremely important date in the history of the Opole church was June 1972. It was when according to the papal bull issued by Pope Paul VI, new dioceses were set up in Poland. Opole diocese was one of them. The first Opole bishop was doctor Francis Jop – an incredibly modest and humble man. After his death, he was buried in the underworld of the cathedral. Where? You will learn that inside. Look for the epitaph and you will find his tale. During your visit at the temple, you can also stop at some other epitaphs and listen and explore their stories.

What else do you need to know about the Opole Cathedral? It is worth to mention that it is a three nave temple. It is 60 meters long and 26 meters wide. Once you go inside, pay attention to its beautiful vault, main altar and primeval stone font, the oldest treasure in the temple, and the miraculous painting of Lady of Opole, crowned in 1983 by John Paul II. When you approach it,  don’t miss its remarkable story.

It is also worth to mention the bronze gate to the temple. They were founded in 1997 to commemorate the 1000^th death anniversary of Saint Adelbert from Prague and the 700^th anniversary of the parish. You can see there biblical people who created the history of the church, the city and Poland. Among them, there is Noe, the builder of the ark and Moses. There is Saint Adelbert from Prague and Hyacinth of Poland, who was born in nearby Kamień Śląski in 1183. There is John Paul II, the saint; Opole Bishop Alfons Nossol; Lech Wałęsa, the legendary leader of Solidarity and the Solidarity chaplain Jerzy Popiełuszko, who was murdered by the communist Security Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is also an angel with the Holy Cross relics.

The story of the Opole Cathedral may be told for hours… It is not only the story of the temple, but also architecture, art and people who built and took care of it. It is also a story of the city, which was built around it and became one of the most recognizable in Poland.

Artykuł CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF THE HOLY CROSS pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

There is an undoubtable presence of many Roman architectural features, however it’s Gothic leanness also contributes to attracting attention. To some, this is a portal from the Late Roman period, for others it comes from the Early Gothic era. Nowadays, it is a side entrance leading to the Cathedral from the South. It is a kind of time gate, from a distant past.

In order to see the portal you need to enter through the massive entrance hall door. Outside of the Cathedral, above the door, there is a tympanum designed by an Opole artist named Adolf Panitza. The tympanum depicts Virgin Mary nestling the infant of Jesus Christ, and John Paul II, who crowned the Our Lady of Opole painting. Have you missed the tympanum? You must take a few steps back. It is definitely worth your attention!

The South entrance hall leading through the portal to the Cathedral is topped with a groin vault raised on two oval pillars. Anyone who passes it will get inside the Opole Cathedral.

But before you take a few steps, pay attention to the noticeable and quite irregular grooves present along the portal. According to the researchers, they were made by knights who received a penance from their clergymen, and as a result had to restrain from fencing. To show the sorrow for their sins, they blunted their swords grooving the lines in the stone portal. This symbolized their vulnerability. They fulfilled God’s will by restraining an attack on others.

Have a look at the location of the portal. The experts say that it is oriented to the North, not to the East.

In church architecture, orientation is an arrangement by which the interior point of main interest lies towards the East. This corresponds to the belief that Christ's Second Coming would be coming from that direction. It is one of the signs that may suggest that the orientation of the original church, built by Bolesław I the Brave, was completely different than the orientation of the modern Cathedral.

In order to confirm that, it would be necessary to examine the foundations and the walls of the temple. But it is an undertaking which is too expensive to carry out. It is very probable, though, that at the Early Gothic portal, we are standing at, is the entrance to the Late Roman temple which was developed into the Gothic style we see today. The space is full of amazing and beautiful places that tell a unique story about the church and the city.

Artykuł EARLY GOTHIC STONE PORTAL pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

Look down. It is just near the parquet floor of the temple. It is a small niche with an arched shape, quite deep with a small draining inside. It was found during a recent renovation of the cathedral under a thick layer of plaster, which covered a side wall of the cathedral left nave.

Next to sacrarium, another walled up niche was also discovered. It was whitewashed, not too deep yet quite high. Perhaps, it was a place where a biblical character, or one of the church saint figures stood. If you take a closer look at the niche, at the eye level of an adult you can see a carved date – from the year 1872. Inside the niche, there was a business card of a construction company from Berlin hanging on an old nail. It was most likely the company that walled up this place a century and a half ago.

Going back to the sacrarium – in old churches, they were unique places used to dispose materials, for example: holy water left over after the liturgical rituals.

It was also a place where ashes of burnt cotton used during anointment were thrown away, and where water used to wash altar cloth, embroidered fragments of texture used by clergymen during liturgy, was disposed. All of this was to get rid of the leftovers after the sacred rituals with the respect towards the Almighty.

Sacrariums were usually placed near the altar. This one discovered in the Opole Cathedral, may be another prove that the original church was built in this exact place.

If you look up carefully at the high wall where sacrarium is, you can see that it bears many signs of alterations - former arches, different layouts of bricks, grouts or delicate concavities of the wall. They are like scars on a human body which are occasionally operated on and sewn up again. Tracing them, you can fantasize and imagine how the Opole temple could have looked like at the time of the Piast dynasty, and in the following centuries …

Artykuł SACRARIUM pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

There are many examples and stories about the modest and simple life of Francis Jop, the first bishop of the Opole diocese.  Some of them were told by Karol Wojtyła, the Cracow metropolitan of that time and later by Pope John Paul II (during a sermon delivered at Bishop Jop’s funeral in September 1976). The funeral was also attended by Stefan Wyszyński, the primate of Poland during the time. The ordinary’s remains were laid down in the crypt we are standing at. The entrance to the crypt is in front of the altar with The Lady of Opole painting.

Bishop Jop came from the Świętokrzyskie region. Before he arrived in Opole, he was an auxiliary bishop in Sandomierz, and a vicar capitular of Cracow archdiocese. In 1951, he was appointed as governor of the Wrocław archdiocese, seated in Opole for the first time. He couldn’t accept this position then due to the objection of Communist authorities.

Finally, he received the decree of appointment in 1956 and he became the first ordinary of the Opole diocese after its setup in 1972. The clergymen and the followers from our region were reserved about his appointment. Bishop Jop felt the same way. However, it wasn’t long before he won over the residents Opole region. He respected all the residents of Opole diocese regardless of their place of origin. He understood multiculturalism, and the complicated history of the region.

During his service, he took part in all the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, and coordinated the after-council canonical reforms in Poland. He developed the cult of Saint Jacek, who was born near Opole, in Kamień Śląski. He was famous for his hard work and frankness. He always spoke to everyone who needed to talk to him. No matter what time of the day it was or if the person was a clergyman or layman. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most honored figures of the Opole church.

The crypt where the coffin with bishop Francis Jop’s body was placed in was opened and examined with the use of modern technology, forty years after his death in 2016. It is one of four crypts under the floor of the Opole collegiate church that have been carefully examined so far. Certainly, they are not the only underground spaces under the Cathedral, there may be many more.

On the recent occasion of the 800th anniversary of the city of Opole, examinations of other crypts took place, led by priest Waldemar Klinger, the current parish priest of the Opole Cathedral. He came up with an idea to create an educational trail accessible to visitors. Thanks to that, the Opole Collegiate church would be one of the few temples in Poland that shows its underworld. It could become an awesome tourist attraction!

However, before the trail comes to existence, we would like to remind you of the bishop Jop whose epitaph we are looking at. It is worth mentioning that the epitaph was made by an Opole sculptor Adolf Panitz. He was also an author of the amazing, monumental and bronze cathedral door. Spend a while to take a closer look at it and see how many tales it hides.

Artykuł BISHOP FRANCIS JOP’S CRYPT AND EPITAPH pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

Found just below the beautiful vault, in the rear part of the collegiate church is a choir. Expanded in 1914, it draws the attention of not only sound lovers, but also architecture connoisseurs. During the rebuilding, the gallery under the choir received a beautiful crystal finial.

As far back as in 1895, the followers during a mass and service could hear the 32-voices church organs. These organs standing there now were ordered by the unforgettable parish priest of our collegiate church, Józef Kubis. In 1941, they were manufactured by Rieger company from Czech Krnov.

During the last renovation of the organs in 1996, powerfully voiced “en chamades” pipes were mounted. The experts stressed that they sounded beautifully and emitted an enormous variety of sounds. You can use them to play romantic renaissance, baroque and contemporary pieces. Everyone who at least once participated in a service in the Opole Cathedral knows that they emit dignified clear sounds, which constitute a unique compliment to the spiritual experience.

If you look on the other side of the temple, you can see that apart from the beautiful monumental main altar, a meticulously made ambo can be found. There is a figure of Sybilia holding a shield of the Holy Spirit and the Book of the Gospels with the names of evangelists. It was founded by a community of vicars, and was made in a classicist style in 1805 by Hans Echter, a Wrocław stucco decorator. It only cost 1500 thalers.

Watching the interior of the collegiate church, it is worth to pay attention to two more elements. Firstly, there are Stations of the Cross on the walls of the both side naves. They were painted on fourteen large canvases in 1737, by a painter Jana Jerzy de Kont from Opawa.

Secondly, there are two large two-colour paintings made using an interesting technique called sgraffito. They were painted in the 60’s of the XX century. Their author was a Cracow artist named Stanisław Szmuc.

Sgraffito is an old technique used to decorate walls, particularly popular during the renaissance period. It is produced by removing parts of previously applied layers of plaster, tinted with contrasting colors. Those in the Opole Cathedral are strictly connected with the Cathedral’s name (Holy Cross). They depict Saint Helena who finds the Holy Cross in 326 A.D. in Jerusalem, and the diseased who returns to health by touching the relic of the cross. However, the themes of the sgraffitos on the southern wall include the Last Supper, as well as saints, and the blessed connected with Silesia: Saint Wojciech, Saint Hedwig of Silesia, blessed Czesława, blessed Czesław and Saint Jacek.

Only those who embraced all the described architecture and décor elements  witha long panoramic view, can feel the real vibe of the Opole collegiate church.

Artykuł AMBO, CHOIR, VAULT pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

Epitaphs could exist on tombstones, engraved on the tomb, or on a plaque hung on a church wall, near the burial site. They are usually made of stone, cast iron or bronze. The decoration of the plaque depends on the imagination and creativity of those who ordered them. There are both: simple forms - with a coat of arms and inscription, as well as sophisticated ones - that are richly gemmed, depicting one or more biblical scenes or portrait of the deceased.

In the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Cross, there are as many as 27 such commemorative epitaphs. They are mainly dedicated to clergymen, representatives of eminent noble families, townspeople, patricians and their close ones. Undoubtedly, they are a part the history of Silesian artist handicrafting, the inscriptions as well depict the history of the city.

One of the most beautiful epitaphs from the 1630’s was made of golden polychrome sandstone. Its founder was Jerzy Skopek, a curator of the collegiate church and an Opole canon. It presents four scenes. The lowest one depicts crucified Jesus Christ and kneeling Saint Lutgardis, a precursor of services devoted to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the other side of the cross, Jerzy Skopek himself is kneeling. There are inscriptions on both sides of the painting. The first one says: “For God, the best, the greatest, for the Virgin Mother of God and for his Patron Saints in heaven.” The second informs that the founder “without fear and not out of greed” created this epitaph for his parents: town senator Baltazar Skopek, and his wife Helena Weissenberger.

Just above this scene, there is another depicting Saint George, the founder’s patron, fighting with a dragon. In the background of this scene, a mysterious woman with a sheep can be observed. The biggest scene of the epitaph, the third from the bottom, represents three wise men giving a bow in a renaissance chamber. The role of the three Wise Men are played by: Baltazar, George and Helena Skopek, accompanied by Saint Helena holding a cross in her hands, who is a patron of George’s mother. At the bottom of the beautiful epitaph, there is a scene illustrating the Holy Trinity with an inscription reading “Holy Trinity, have mercy on us.”

It is also worthwhile to pay attention to an epitaph consisting of two scenes from the XVIth century, devoted to Dorota Zybrzecka. She was married to Joahim Jendriczek, a patrician from Opole who founded this piece of art. It is bricked on the northern nave of the church. Its bottom scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ with Virgin Mary kneeling at the crib, and among others, Saint Joseph bending over the crib. The scene also illustrates a bull and a donkey. In the left upper corner of the scene, one can see an angel announcing the birth of the Savior. Also shown in this scene is the poinsettia. However, the upper scene represents the Resurrection of Jesus Chris, standing with his hands up in the air and covered with a coat, with sleeping soldiers surrounding him.

There is also a beautiful epitaph plaque placed at the side entrance to the Cathedral on the left side of the sacristy, founded in 1608 by Jerzy Sebastian Stephetius, an Opole dean. The epitaph consists of one scene where the Virgin Mary, dressed in a loose vestment is holding Jesus Christ, who has been taken down from the cross. Her left hand holds up his head and her right hand holds up his inert body. A radiant aureole surrounds his head and under the scene, with an inscription: “Support those who are miserable, buoy those who are fainthearted and comfort those who cry.”

In the northern nave of the Opole collegiate church, there is another epitaph depicting Jesus Christ, sitting at the tomb with a thorned crown on his head, holding a whip and twigs. There are tools at his feet referring to the crucifixion which include: nails, a hammer, pliers, dice, and a jar with water. There is a column used for whipping, with a cock standing at the top. This symbolizes the cock which was supposed to crow three times, the same number of times Peter renounced the Risen Christ. There is an inscription under the scene, which informs that the epitaph was founded in 1627 by Grzegorz Schraiber, an Opole patrician, for his wife Margaret.

The walk among the epitaphs in the Opole cathedral may be an interesting journey through time. Exquisitely gemmed with coats of arms, or plant motifs plaques indicate how important the deceased and their families were. They are a sign of respect and a reminder for the posterity to pray on behalf of those who passed away. And that is the reason why they shouldn’t be passed by indifferently.

Artykuł EPITAPHS pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

And there are many examples proving it. The miraculous nature of the painting from Piekary was formally recognized in the XVIIth century, when Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, moved it to the Saint Clements Jesuit Collegiate Church in Czech Prague in order to protect the city. The city at Vltava was decimated by a plague at that time. Sources say that those who prayed in front of the painting, at that time called The Lady of Piekary, regained health.

On March 15th, 1680 the painting was moved along the street of Prague in a solemn and pleading procession to the Saint Wit Cathedral, shortly after ... the plague stopped. The Prague bishop John Friderick described it as “miraculous”. The Lady was given votives as a gift and once She came back to Piekary, Her cult became common. On August 8^th, 1681, Opole residents set off on a thankful pilgrimage to thank the Mother of God for the end of the plague from 1679 to 1680. According to the recommendations of the City Council of that time, one person from every family from Opole took part in the pilgrimage.

In 1739 during the great fire in our city, the painting of the Mother of God was carried along the streets of Opole. According to sources, when the procession was heading to the church, heavy rain fell and extinguished the destructive fire. One year later, the Mother of God supported the residents of our borough and ceased the flood in the same way. As a result, followers from Silesia and even Czech Republic started to make pilgrimages to the Lady of Opole. There were tens of pilgrimages every year. One year, there were even 113 of them!

In 1683, Jesuits moved the miraculous painting to Opole for the first time in order to protect it from the coming attack of Turks. The followers from Piekary, despite protests, had to accept the copy of the painting. It was the copy of the painting in front of which, the Polish king John III Sobieski was praying on the way to the legendary Battle of Vienna. As a sign of gratitude for the victory over the Turks, he gave the Mother of God a silver dress as a gift. In 1697, the future Polish King August II Sas was also praying in front of the painting on his way to the coronation. Later, in 1702, in a fear of Deluge, the Lady of Piekary was moved to Opole and stayed here for good.

It is certain that the image of the Mother of Jesus from Piekary was painted on three joined boards made of lime tree. This tempera was created in an anonymous painting workshop between 1480 and 1500. Where? We don’t know. The painting bears some similarities to the paintings created in Czech Republic at that time. The Virgin Mary in the painting holds Baby Jesus in her right arm and gives an apple to Christ with her left arm. Baby Jesus on the other hand, indicates his mother with his right hand and supports his left arm on the Gospel Book.

The Jesuits’ chronicle from the XVIIIth century says that the Mother of God from the painting seems to watch everyone looking at her with her mother eyes.

For a long time, the miraculous painting was exhibited in several places. After the liquidation of the Jesuit monastery in 1810, the painting was placed in one of the  Opole churches, the so-called “church on a hill”, which is situated not far away from here. In 1830, during the Napoleonic wars it was moved to the Holy Cross Church and placed in a southern side chapel.

Today the image of the Lady of Opole is placed at a beautiful baroque altar dating back to 1718. The altar was bought by the parish priest of that time - priest Józef Kubis. in Jelenia Góra. He was the same priest who, due to the war, commissioned Mrs. Professor Fey from Berlin with creating a faithful copy of the Lady of Opole. The copy was next hung in the cathedral and the original was hidden in nearby Prószków. The painting came back to its place after the war.

June 23^rd 1983 is one of the most important days of the history of the painting, but also of the Opole Cathedral and the whole diocese. John Paul II during his second pilgrimage to Poland also visited St. Anna Mountain. There he crowned the image of the Lady of Opole with the papal crowns.

It is worth to add that, other great celebrities presented the Lady of Opole with other precious objects over centuries. Pope John XXIII gave the Lady of Opole a golden medal and Pope Paul VI a chalice and a golden rosary made of pearls as a gift. Undoubtedly, it is a proof of the painting cult.

Artykuł LADY OF OPOLE CHAPEL pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

It is a numb witness of history, serving as the one who accepted the following generations of residents of the Opole area as the catholic church members. It is worth to mention that as early as the first half of the XXth century, the Opole collegiate church became a parish church for not only Opole residents but also for a dozen or so nearby towns.

There are two coats of arms on the baptismal font calotte: the coat of arms of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz, as well as the coat of arms of Opole. It is undoubtedly the oldest image of the city coat of arms. It depicts a half of the Piast eagle - referring to Opole rulers, as well as half of the cross, referring to the Holy Cross relics in which the Opole cathedral is famous for. Below there is a house mark of the stone-cutter. It is a proof of the generosity of the Dutch Jan the Good, the last member of the Opole Piast dynasty.

Not that long ago, the historic baptismal font was standing near the entrance of the Opole Cathedral in the chapel of the Saint John of Nepomuk. During the renovation of the chapel, the stone antique was moved by the main altar to the northern nave. Today, it stands in front of the Holy Trinity Altar. Here, it exists to serve the next generations of those who become members of the Christian community through the Grace of Baptism.

It is worth to mention that at some point, this historic gem disappeared from the Opole cathedral…

In 1850, due to its bad condition, a decision was made to remove the baptismal font from the temple. It was replaced with a new neo-gothic marble one created in 1849. During this time, the old baptismal font was placed and forgotten about in the parish garden.

It had been there for decades before it was accidentally found in 1963 during cleaning and renovation work taking place before the celebration commemorating the millennium of the Christianization of Poland.

In 1966, after a thorough renovation, the baptismal font came back to the cathedral. Initially, it was placed in the basement of the northern tower. In 2009 it underwent further renovation, restoring its original beauty. Today, it is a treat for the eyes of not only followers but also for numerous tourists and … historians.

Artykuł BAPTISMAL FONT WITH THE OLDEST COAT OF ARMS OF OPOLE pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.

The fact is that in 1393 John Nepomuk was imprisoned, tortured, and then thrown off the Charles Bridge to Vltava. Legends say that his body was found due to the stars that had appeared around his body, on the surface of the water. These stars are now used to symbolize the Saint. He was buried in a Holy Cross church in Prague, and later was moved to a tomb under the cathedral in Hradcany.

According to Catholics, Nepomuk is supposed to protect not only against rough water and floods, but also against drought. This is why many of his figures, called nepomuks are placed near water, bridges, fields, crossroads as well as on public and church squares. The baroque figure of the saint stands among others on the cathedral square, near the parish building.

Nepomuks can be easily recognized by noticing several unique features within these figures: the Saint’s head are surrounded by stars; the Saint has his finger placed on his lips; he is holding a crucifix, a martyr’s palm, or a closed book and padlock symbolizing silence. The saint is a patron of priests, raftmen, bridge builders, millers, and people falsely judged or backbitten.

The cult of Nepomuk began in the XVth century, after the death of King Vaclav. However, Nepomuk was beatified as late as in 1721 by Pope Innocent XIII, and canonized on March 19, 1729 by Benedict XIII. His liturgy memorial is celebrated annually on May 21st. In the Opole cathedral, he is a patron of the confession chapel which, has been recently renovated as a part of a Polish-Czech project by the cathedral parish of Opole Diocese, and Roman Catholic Diocese of Ostrava-Opava.

Not that long ago, standing here there was a historic baptismal font with the oldest coat of arms of Opole. During maintenance work it was moved to the left nave of the church; at this time an interesting discovery was made in the chapel. In the basement, under the floor, a brick octagonal building shut with bricks from the top was discovered. Look carefully under your feet. To commemorate the finding, an octagonal shape has been marked here. It could have been a baptismal font, a well or a tomb. We will probably never know  … The research during the renovation was given up due to the restorers’ concerns.

But that’s not the end! During the renovation, an old handmade brick with original finger traces from the first half of the XIIIth century was discovered. This layout of bricks bears signs of Roman origin, where two longer bricks were interlaced with a shorter one. The finials of the originally lower walls, as well as the vaults of the chapel from the later period were left under a layer of plaster to show the contrast and mark the height of the original Roman walls.

The discoveries have an enormous historical value since they prove that centuries ago, there was a Roman temple in the place of the Opole Cathedral. However, there is a hypothesis that the oldest fragment of the cathedral, dating back to the XIIIth century could have just been a part of the city defense system.

Artykuł THE CHAPEL OF SAINT JOHN NEPOMUK pochodzi z serwisu Renovation of the Cathedral in Opole.