Did you know that St. James's Church has one of the steepest roofs in Europe and the Belfry was supposed to be much higher? More information here.

The parish of St. James and St. Agnes in Nysa was established at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. It covered the area of the so-called New Town. The first parish church, erected in the years 1195-1198, was consecrated by the bishop of Wrocław, Jarosław in 1198

The monumental interior of the temple, the vault supported by high pillars, and the colors give the set of impressions from the border of the real and mystical world. This wonderful work of Gothic architecture was created by a man inspired by the hand of GOD. The beginnings of the present building date back to the 12th century. The walls of the present church began in 1424. The then city council commissioned the construction to master Piotr of Ząbkowice. According to historical sources, the building was completed in 1430. In its further turbulent history, the church experienced numerous fires, damages and modernizations. However, the characteristic silhouette of the building has remained unchanged to this day. After a fire in 1542, repair work was carried out, including new net vaults, new truss and slate roofing. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the church was baroqueized in line with the then-tendency, and a number of gothic altars, sculptures and stained glass windows were removed. Old paintings were also plastered over. In the years 1889-1995, the church was thoroughly modernized in the neo-Gothic style, and the western porch (today's main entrance) was added. These works were led by Józef Eberts.

The Second World War did not spare the church. The fire completely destroyed the roof, the western gable, the organ and the rainbow group. The equipment of the temple was partially devastated. The reconstruction lasted until 1961, and restoration works are carried out to this present day.

St. James's Church is a three-nave, nine-span, stone and brick hall. Around the presbytery there is an ambulatory that is an extension of the aisles, with a row of lower gothic chapels built in them. At the eighth span from the south and north, in the place of the former entrances, two baroque chapels were arranged. Going further along the northern aisle, we see a later octagonal baroque baptistery. The side aisles are separated by slender, six-sided brick pillars, above which there are rib vaults from 1891.
When we look at the temple from the outside, the huge, compact body and the huge gable roof are impressive. The walls rise to a height of 27 meters. Roof - supposedly the steepest roof in Europe, covers an area of approx. 4,000 m2 with 122,000 m2. roof tiles. An octagonal turret for a bell was built on the ridge. Currently, it is 14 meters high (before the war it was 21 meters high).
The sculptural and architectural decoration of the church is not rich and comes mostly from the time of the last restoration. The portals in the side porches and the sacristy from the mid-15th century as well as the set of keystones and carved brackets in some chapels deserve attention. When visiting the temple, one should pay attention to the exceptional value of the set of works of artistic craftsmanship - a set of bars from the workshops in Nysa, from the late Gothic, through the Renaissance and Mannerism, to the Baroque. The church in Nysa also has one of the richest collections of epitaphs and tombstones in Silesia. They are often works of high artistic value.

The belfry at the church of St. James in Nysa was built in 1474 during the reign of bishop Rudolf von Rüdesheim (1468-1482). The builder of the first two floors was Mikołaj Hirz, a master builder probably brought from Rhineland. The names of the bishop and builder are preserved on the foundation plaques above the entrance and under the main window of the belfry. The third floor was built in 1493. It was the reign of Bishop John IV Roth (1482-1506). The fourth floor was erected in 1516 from the foundation of bishop Jan Turzo (1506-1520). Two more floors were planned. At that time, however, the "gothic construction enthusiasm" was ending and "the money got spoiled" (lost its value).

Therefore, the works on the belfry were not continued and the materials collected were allocated for the construction of a stone bridge near the Wrocław Gate. The belfry, situated in the vicinity of the north-west corner of the church of St. James, is late gothic, free-standing, like an Italian campanilla. Made of brick, with stone cladding, square, four-storey, with pairs of prominent buttress buttresses at the corners. At the buttress from the south-west a polygonal turret with a stone staircase reaching as far as the belfry terrace.

The interior of the belfry was covered with a wooden truss, bells hung on individual floors. Until the First World War, there were eight of them. Among them, the largest "St. James", weighing 8,200 kg, was cast in Nysa in 1494 by Bartłomiej Lindenradt, a bell-founder from Nysa. War requisitions deprived the bell tower of bells, only "St. James" remained, which melted during the fire of the bell tower in 1945.

In the 1950s, two new bells were cast from the melted remains. Currently, on the fourth floor, there are nine bells and a clock with a chime funded in 2003 by the City Council and the Mayor of Nysa.

Nysa was once the center of goldsmithing in Silesia. As har back as 1300 the first goldsmith (aurifaber) was recorded. By the end of the 19th century, there were 176 craftsmen working in gold and silver. Nysa goldsmiths, through contacts with European goldsmith art centers (eg Augsburg, Vienna), represented a truly European level.

The ordering parties and the first recipients of the works of Nysa goldsmiths were, above all, the bishops of Wrocław, residing in the capital of their principality, Nysa, members of the bishop's court, higher clergy, canons of the collegiate chapter of St. Nicholas, the rich patriciate of Nysa and various brotherhoods. The story of saving this treasure from the war conflagration of 1945 and the front and post-war plunder of the city is sensational: the last German parish priest, Fr. Dr. Wawra, along with two colleagues, bricked up the treasure in a special hiding place under the presbytery of the church of St. James. Only in the 1950s, the treasure was handed over by a trusted person to the then pastor, late Fr. Prelate Józef Kądziołka.

The second sensation was the appearance in the rectory in May 2003 of two older couples who visited their hometown, Nysa, for the first time since their expulsion in 1945. The gentlemen, as teenage boys, lived with their parents in the present rectory building and witnessed household appliances, porcelain and liturgical vessels bricked up in the basement. After demolishing the wall, in the indicated place, it turned out that the hiding place was intact. Among the liturgical vessels - most from the beginning of the 20th century - there are three rarities:

1. Silver, gilded ciborium by Martin Vogelhund (he worked as an outstanding goldsmith in Nysa in the years 1698-1741)
2. A late-baroque monstrance set with numerous semi-precious stones (no author's features)
3. Richly carved, silver covers for a missal with a medallion of St. James (front page) and St. Agnes (back page) and the date of creation (1766) and the name of the founder ("sub parocho Ioan. Ios. L.B. de Rosencrantz"), no author's features.

The empty, burnt interior of the bell tower, ending at the top with a platform of bells and an observation deck, inspired the creation of a gallery for all the treasures of the church in this place. The first concepts, drawings and images of what is to be created are created. The financing of the entire construction of the gallery plays a key role. The parish cannot afford this expense. You have to look for sponsors, preferably in Germany, where the old Nysa still lives, which cares about the protection of Silesian culture. After many procedures, talks and visits, it was possible to establish the main sources of financing for the construction and equipment of the "Treasury of St. James" gallery in the cathedral bell tower in Nysa.

These are:

• The Erika-Simon-Stiftung Rinteln Foundation
• The Landkreis Hildesheim and the local Kreissparkasse
• Neisser Kultur und Heimatbund
• Many private individuals and our Foundation for Saving the Monuments of the Nysa Cathedral.

The architect known in Nysa, Mr. Alojzy Tomiczek, developed and presented an interesting architectural concept of the gallery. Under his supervision, all documentation and appropriate permits were completed. The GNIOT-POL company from Kurznia near Brzeg undertook to make a steel and glass structure of the gallery. The renovation and construction plant of Mr. Kurnatowski from Nysa took over the remaining construction works.

On three floors of the gallery, in special showcases, works of goldsmith's art from Nysa goldsmiths are presented. For centuries, chalices, ciborias, candlesticks and other liturgical vessels have served, and are still used, to celebrate the Eucharist. They are not only works of high-class art, but also an expression of the deep faith of the inhabitants of Nysa over the centuries.

The opening of the "Treasury of St. James" gallery - on April 2, 2005, coincides with the Eucharistic Year celebrated today. The believer, the Christian, for centuries tries to manifest his faith and love for Christ the Savior also in external signs. These marks often take the form of works of art. To him who redeemed us and gave himself for food, giving eternal life, the believer gives not only himself but also what is most precious.

In this way, works of art related to the celebration of the Holy Mass are presented. they are an expression of faith and veneration of many generations of Christians living in this land - in Nysa. For us contemporaries, let them be an encouragement to a deeper Eucharistic devotion.

The construction of the "St. Jacob's Treasury" gallery was financed by private individuals, foundations and associations from Germany. The City and Commune Office in Nysa and our Foundation for Rescuing the Monuments of the Nysa Cathedral also provided great help. Let this gallery become a sign and a bridge to mutual understanding, friendship and good-neighborly coexistence.