Modified in 1339, the single-nave, oriented church with a richly decorated, two-storey main altar is one of the most valuable works of Baroque architecture in the area of the Racibórz region. It was built by Jan Zeller of Opava in 1691-1694. The church houses a unique exposition of 11 decorated coffins and sarcophagi from the Reiswitz and Wilczek families. The exhibits on show come from the crypt, which was opened in 1993.

The Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul in Tvorkov was built in the Baroque style between 1691 and 1694 according to a design by Jan Zeller of Opava. The church is oriented and located on a hill. The presbytery has one bay and closes with a straight wall and there is a vestry to the east. A square tower was added to the west of the church in 1749, with porches and a staircase.

The interior of the church is covered with a collector's vault with projecting grottoes and lunettes, while the walls are divided by wide lisens with Ionic-style pilasters, decorated with fruit festoons and angels. The transom is broken, decorated with stucco decoration in the form of floral tendrils and angel heads and a prominent cornice profile. The rainbow is closed with a semicircle and decorated with a double cartouche of the Reiswitz coat of arms in a key, supported by putti. The stucco decoration was made by Antoni Signo from Opava in 1691, and the polychromy in the late Baroque style from the mid-18th century is illusionistic. Above the choir there is a painting depicting the Last Judgement. The main altar is two-tiered, with the lower tier containing statues of patrons and the upper tier containing the Baroque painting 'Feeding of the multitude', which was later repainted. The altar mensa is sarcophagus-shaped, decorated with a bas-relief of Our Lady of Good Care.

The supper box dates from the late 17th century, has two multi-quadrant windows, is overhanging and decorated with pilasters and floral decoration and a sculpture of St Michael the Archangel in the finial. Next to the rainbow are two side altars and a pulpit with rich woodcarving decoration. The tombstone of Philippine Cappy, née Hoverden (d. 1839), is made of stone and contains an inscription, and its border is richly decorated with coat-of-arms cartouches.

In the church there is a unique European display of 11 decorated coffins and sarcophagi of local magnates from the Reiswitz and Wilczek families. The Reiswitz family had to obtain permission from Emperors Ferdinand III and Leopold I to be buried in a Catholic church. The artefacts come from the crypt beneath the so-called "babynět", which was opened in 1993 and entered in the register of monuments in 1994. Ewa Wilczek was buried in a sarcophagus with gilded parts, while her husband Waclaw Reiswitz was laid to rest in a tin and lead coffin, which has only been preserved in fragments. The other coffins are decorated with oil polychrome, with cast elements applied. Some of the children's coffins show variously coloured flowers painted from nature, while Johanna Henrietta's sarcophagus features a pair of tulips and roses and chubby, smiling angels. The authors of the painting decoration, which distinguishes the Tworkow monuments from others preserved in Poland, were local artists from Racibórz or Opava. There were no precious metal objects in the coffins, but richly decorated post-mortem clothes made of silk have been preserved, as well as infant shirts, pillowcases and garlands. All this provides a good illustration for the little-known Protestant funeral tradition in Upper Silesia.

The coffins and sarcophagi in the church in Tworków are a remarkable tourist attraction, drawing visitors from all over Poland and Europe. They are also an important source of information for historians and researchers from all over the world who are trying to learn about the culture and customs of the 17th and 18th centuries in Poland and Central Europe. Thanks to the efforts of the local authorities and the community, the collections are perfectly preserved and undergo regular conservation work, which ensures their continued existence and protects them from destruction. Tourists are also recommended to visit other interesting places in the area, such as the church of St. Peter and Paul in Tworkow, the ruins of the castle and the forest near Tworkow, which has been protected under the Natura 2000 network.

Virtual walk

Directions

Gallery

Church and crypts in Tworków

more

Church and crypts in Tworków

more

Church and crypts in Tworków

more

Church and crypts in Tworków

more

Church and crypts in Tworków

more

Church and crypts in Tworków

more

Church and crypts in Tworków

more