CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY IN NYSA

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nysa is a symbol of the Jesuit order's activities in the town. The Jesuits were brought to Nysa in 1622, at the instigation of Charles of Austria, Bishop of Wrocław. The cornerstone for the temple was laid in 1688. Construction was completed after just four years. The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the form of a basilica with a gallery and a facade

featuring two towers, inspired by the form of the Church of the Gesù. One notable architectural feature is the wooden figures of saints associated with the Jesuits. The lower part features statues of St. Charles Borromeo and St. Ferdinand of Castile (these are temporarily housed in the Nysa County Museum), while in the upper part contains statues of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier. The design of the temple came from Czech Jesuit circles, while the construction work was carried out by Matthias Kirchberger and later by Michael Klein. Some of the most valuable monuments of this church are the Baroque paintings, made by Karl Dankwart himself. Their leitmotif is scenes related to the cult of Virgin Mary. The church suffered serious damage in a fire in 1807, which was linked to the siege of the town by Napoleon's troops. Very little of the church's original furnishings remained. Several decades after these tragic events, a major renovation of the church took place.

The main altar was partially reconstructed, and additional decorations were added to the side altars. The Baroque helms were reconstructed only in 1907. Surprisingly, the church was not seriously damaged during World War II. Still, but due to scarce funds and a shortage of materials, the temple was repaired slowly and still requires restoration today.