Besides the aforementioned tombstone of Ernest of Pardubice from the 14th century, the most interesting works of sacral art at Kłodzko’s parish church include the following:

• The Main Altar from 1727-1729 with the gothic statue of Mary in Radiant Glory designed by local Jesuit Christopher Tausch,
• The statue of Madonna with the Siskin from circa 1360-1364 sculpted in oak wood and attributed to master sculptor Peter Parler, the builder of the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague,
• The Figure of the Madonna with Child on the main altar from circa 1450 sculpted in linden wood, likely a part of the previous gothic altar
• The Statue of Ernest of Pardubice, the Archbishop of Prague, sculpted in marble by a famous Bohemian sculptor named Jan Janda,
• The Altar of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the aforementioned Michael Klahr the Elder from 1725, one of the finest altars created during this period in Silesia.

These are only some of the historical works of sacral art to be found at the Assumption of Mary church. Through almost three hundred and fifty years of continuous effort, the grand baroque temple was continuously subject to improvements and modernisation. Visitors have a hard time taking their eyes off the numerous beautiful sculptures and paintings, the extraordinary altars, and the enormous confessionals. Created over the centuries by the greatest artists, they continue to astound with their beauty to this day.

The Black Gate is the only preserved wall fragment of the former cemetery at the Assumption of Mary church. The beautiful late baroque gate was commissioned by the Jesuits in 1703. Flanked by a pair of reinforced Tuscan columns, it is topped with the statues of three saints: Saint Francis Xavier holding the cross – the symbol of the Lord’s suffering – stands on the left, Saint Ignatius of Loyola – the founder of the Jesuits – holding the book of rule stands in the middle, and Saint Francis Borgia – the well-known follower and propagator of the Marian cult – stands on the right. The frieze of the gate presents the abbreviation of the Jesuit motto: AMDG, which stands for the Latin phrase attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola: Ad maiorem Dei Gloriam (For the greater glory of God). With time, this phrase would become the leading philosophy of the Jesuit order.

At a certain point in time there was a cemetery at the Assumption of Mary church. The custom of burial within church grounds dates back to the 4th century. It emerged with the announcement of religious freedom for Christians and the start of church building. The church grounds were used to bury mainly those from low society, while those of greater prestige (dukes, aristocrats) were usually buried in castle churches and chapels and at urban and rural parish churches. At church cemeteries, there were no signs presenting the names of the deceased, which would often be impossible anyway because there were numerous bodies buried in one grave, usually without caskets. And not everyone could be laid to rest as these cemeteries either. People who committed suicides, had a poor reputation, or did not attend church were usually rejected. Back in the middle ages – especially in big cities – there were attempts to create new burial grounds away from urbanised regions, but such plans were met with firm opposition because burial outside of church grounds was considered to be sacrilege. However, as the populations – and consequentially number of deaths – kept growing, this approach slowly started to change for sanitary reasons. The custom of burying the dead at church grounds was ultimately dissolved by the Edict of Nantes signed by Henry IV of the House of Bourbon in France in 1598. The cemetery at the Assumption of Mary church in Kłodzko was closed in 1624 and the tombstones were used as floor tiles during the church’s reconstruction. The walls were taken down in the 19th century when the cemetery was finally demolished. The only fragment preserved to this day is the aforementioned Black Gate.

Saint John of Nepomuk – patron against calumnies, protector from misfortunes. The statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, which stands in front of the main entrance of the Assumption of Mary church in Kłodzko, was founded in 1714 by the Starost of Kłodzko and Commander of the Tower Count Maksymilian Mitrowicz. The benefactor’s coat of arms on the pedestal under the statue and the subtle wording: “Max. LB. Mitrowski D. Mitrowicz S. Caes. R. Maj. Cam. Capitaneus Com. Glatz” (Maksymilian, baron Mitrowicz of Mitrowice, chamberlain by the holy imperial and royal grace, Starost of Kłodzko County) have been preserved to this day.

John of Nepomuk was born in Pomuk near Prague. He dedicated himself to clergy and was schooled first in Prague and then in Padua. When he received the degree of Doctor of Laws, he took the position of vicar general and became the right hand of Prague archbishop John of Jenstein. During this time, Bohemia was under the rule of King Wenceslaus IV of the Luxembourg dynasty, who presented the archbishop of Prague with fierce opposition when it came to filling positions within the church. The Bohemian king wasted to do away with an inconvenient witness and invited John of Nepomuk to a feast. He then seized him and subjected him to murderous tortures. It was like the Way of the Cross for the future saint. He was kicked, beaten, stabbed with sharp objects, and burned. As the king looked on with satisfaction, John was forced to open his mouth to have his tongue removed with pliers. The king then ordered the poor canon to be executed. In the middle of the night, they took him to the bridge on the Vltava River and threw him down into the water with a stone chained to his neck. Legend says that five stars appeared when he was drowning. The locals noticed them. We have no idea why the Bohemian ruler committed such a horrible crime. Was it simply because of the hate and anger resulting from the vicar’s support of the archbishop? Some sources claim that the saint was the queen’s confessor. Perhaps the hatred was born from his refusal to reveal the secret of the queen’s confession? With time, the memory of John of Nepomuk would transform into a cult. The first statue of the saint was installed on the Charles Bridge in Prague, the location of his death. This was well before his canonisation, which is a testament to his popularity in Bohemia.