The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ruda Śląska-Kochłowice

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ruda Śląska-Kochłowice is a single-nave late Baroque church built in 1806. It features distinctive architecture with a length of 31 meters and a width of 10.5 meters. The church is oriented along an east-west axis, with the entrance located on the western side. Inside, the sanctuary includes a presbytery that is lower and narrower than the main nave, leading to a square sacristy. The walls of the nave and presbytery are supported by pilasters with profiled corners, and the ceiling consists of brick vaulting supported by girders. Access to the church is provided through a vestibule and a side entrance on the northern side. The exterior façade is characterized by a plinth, a crowning cornice, and framed divisions, as well as two tiers of varying widths. The church tower is equipped with a clock and features a domed spire with a lantern and a cross. On December 19, 2008, the church was declared the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes by Archbishop Damian Zimoń of Katowice, with the focal point of veneration being the Lourdes grotto, consecrated on December 8, 1904. The church was consecrated on October 26, 1806, by Canon Parish Priest Jerzy Przybyła. Its construction was funded by Count Łazarz Henckel von Donnersmarck and his wife, using locally sourced stone. The builder of the church was Mr. Hoffman from Rybnik. The interior boasts rich furnishings, including an 18th-century Baroque-Classicist pulpit with a canopy and a Baroque stone baptismal font, also from the 18th century, as well as late Baroque stone baptismal fonts in the vestibule. The sanctuary is the oldest church in Ruda Śląska, and its significant religious and historical importance attracts both worshippers and tourists, making it a vital place of worship and an essential element of local culture.