Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Legnica

The Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul stands on Plac Katedralny in Legnica and is the main church of the Diocese of Legnica. It is a Gothic, brick building with two towers, built up gradually from the Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century.

From the first mention to the Gothic building

The first mention of a church on this site comes from 1208, from a document issued by Duke Henry the Bearded. A brick church was built here around 1225, and the present Gothic structure was erected between 1333 and 1380 in the brick Gothic style. From this period comes the west portal of 1338-1341, decorated with a Gothic stone statue of the Virgin Mary, and the north portal showing the Adoration of the Magi.

Rebuildings over the centuries

In the 15th century nine side chapels were added to the body of the church. In 1648 a fire destroyed the tower and part of the church's furnishings. In 1743 Baroque elements were introduced, including a new altar. The largest rebuilding, in the neo-Gothic spirit, was carried out between 1892 and 1894 to a design by the architect Johannes Otzen, when a second, southern tower was added, giving the church its present two-towered appearance.

Interior and furnishings

Inside the cathedral a Renaissance pulpit of 1586-1588, made of white sandstone, has survived, along with a Baroque high altar of 1747-1764. Among the oldest items of furnishing are a 16th-century pentaptych with scenes from the life of St Anne with the Virgin and Child, and a bronze font from before 1300. The church has an organ with 53 stops, built in 1894 by the firm Schlag i Synowie. The first carillon was installed in 1893, with a set of nineteen bells weighing a total of 3,500 kilograms. Today three bells hang in the towers, including two that came from the church in Zatonie, a village that disappeared as a result of the expansion of the Turów mine.

Cathedral of the Diocese of Legnica

On 25 March 1992, Pope John Paul II, by the bull Totus Tuus Poloniae Populus, made this church the cathedral of the newly created Diocese of Legnica. On 2 June 1997, John Paul II visited the cathedral in person. The building is entered in the register of immovable historic monuments as a monument of the highest rank.

Parish life

The cathedral runs communities for children, young people and adults, including a schola, a cathedral choir and academic chaplaincy. The parish also broadcasts Holy Mass online. The cathedral has a chapel for perpetual adoration and confessionals for confession, and the church is open to pilgrims and the faithful.

Nearby

Close to the cathedral are the Legnica Municipal Park, the Piast Castle and the Copper Museum. A few hundred metres away lies the Market Square in Legnica.

Practical information

• Address: Plac Katedralny, Legnica.
• Holy Mass on Sundays at 7:30, 10:00, 11:30, 13:00 and 18:30, daily on weekdays, times worth checking before your visit on the parish website.
• To see: the Gothic body of the church with two towers, the Renaissance pulpit, the Baroque high altar, the 16th-century pentaptych, and the font from before 1300.
• An adoration chapel and confessionals are available.