Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

The Church of St. Nicholas and St. Francis in Otmuchówwas built in the Baroque style at the end of the 17th century. The founder of the building erected on a hill, visible from many places in the town, was the Bishop of Wrocław, Franz Ludwig von Neuburg. The Church of St. Nicholas and St. Francis is the third temple standing in this place – the first was dismantled in 1435 as a result of destruction caused by Hussites and Mongols, and the next one, built in 1460, was dismantled at the end of the 15th century due to structural defects. The church has two 47-meter high towers, and a portal with the founder's coat of arms supported by lions leads to the temple. In the niches of the facade, there are statues of saints, and at its top a figure of the patron of the church, St. Nicholas of Myra blessing the town. The church furnishings come from the time of the church's foundation. The balustrade of the church pulpit from the end of the 17th century is decorated with bas-reliefs of evangelists, and its crowning is a canopy with figures of Christ and four Church fathers. In the presbytery, there are pews with rich woodcarving decoration. The painting decoration consisting of 39 frescoes was made by Karl Dankwart, the court painter of King John III Sobieski. The frescoes present, among other things, scenes from the lives of St. Nicholas and Francis Xavier – the patrons of the church. In the temple, one can also see works of one of the most famous Silesian painters of the Baroque era in Silesia, Michael Willmann, called the "Silesian Rembrandt." He is the author of the painting in the main altar depicting St. Nicholas blessing the shipwrecked, as well as the canvas illustrating the beheading of St. John the Baptist located in one of the eight side altars. Practical information: Possibility to visit before or after mass. Free admission. Sightseeing time: 1 hour. Free parking spaces directly below the church or in the town square.