Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica, Poland

The churches were built as a consequence of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia treaties, which ended the Thirty Years’ War. The defeated Evangelicals were denied the right to profess their faith and have their own churches, so began negotiations to better their situation.

They were eventually granted permission to erect three new churches, however strict conditions were imposed: they had to be built outside the city walls using non-durable materials (wood and clay), they couldn’t have a tower and they had to be completed within a year.

The architect and engineer, Albrecht von Säbisch, was given the challenge of reconciling these requirements with the expectations of the region’s extensive Evangelical community, for whom these were to be the only churches. His ideas and designs were successful.

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Jawor was built from 1654 to 1655 as a rectangular, three-nave basilica with a three-sided chancel. 
Unfortunately, the third of the Churches of Peace, built in Głogów in 1652, burned down in a fire in 1758.

In line with the restrictions that had been imposed, the Churches of Peace did not initially have a belfry. Over time, however, they were erected: as a free-standing structure in Świdnica, and adjacent to the body of the church in Jawor.

The rich, Baroque décor found in the churches in Świdnica and Jawor is far removed from the traditional simplicity of the interior of a typical Evangelical house of prayer, but consistent with the all-European artistic currents that were prevalent at that time.

The galleries, which are located on several levels, are covered with biblical texts and allegorical scenes, and are richly decorated with epitaphs, emblems of professional guilds—bakers, brewers, butchers and clothiers—and portraits of burghers and members of the gentry.

The churches’ epitaphs along with the painted and carved decorations are an exciting combination of Baroque forms with themes referring to Protestant theology. They also reflect the social and material status of the Evangelical communities’ members.

Unlike in Catholic temples, many epitaphs were placed outside the buildings, with the intention of saving space inside the church.

Painted and sculptural representations which depict the founders and benefactors of the churches can be found on the sills of the galleries, on structural elements, and the ceilings.

The construction of the Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica should be recognized as an extraordinary technological achievement: given the limited volume of the interior due to the construction options and the building materials that were available, the result was impressive. 

The churches’ original architectural form and their function as Evangelical-Augsburg houses of worship are today unchanged, as are the spatial relationships between them and the parish buildings and cemeteries in their vicinity. They were granted World Heritage status in 2001.