The church, designed by the outstanding architect Józef Pius Dziekoński, was built between 1907 and 1914 according to a design modified by Władysław Łaszkiewicz. It is an example of a three-nave hall temple with a transept and one tower in the façade, representing the “Vistula-Baltic Gothic” style. The style of the clergy house erected around 1920 appears to have evolved during the search for a “national style” in the architecture of the early 20th century. 

History

The parish probably dates back to the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. The present-day church is pre-dated by three wooden churches founded by successive heirs. In 1887, the Warsaw architect Józef Pius Dziekoński designed a new brick church, but the authorities of the partitioning powers refused to give permission for its erection. The church was finally built in 1907-1914 according to a design modified by Władysław Łaszkiewicz – a district engineer from Janów, who enlarged the temple significantly at the request of the then parish priest Hieronim Brzóz. Many local experts and professionals brought from Warsaw and Krakow were involved in the construction of the church; the stained glass windows were produced at the Warsaw studio of Michał Olszewski. The church was damaged during the war in 1915 and renovated in 1915-1919. Since the end of the Second World War, it has undergone several renovations, including: 1952, 1968, 1972, 1998 (renovation of the truss and replacement of the roof cladding), 2002-2003 (restoration of the interior).

The clergy house was built around 1920. The timber for its construction was derived from the demolished 18th-century church. 

Description

The church complex is situated in the western part of the village. The oriented, neo-Gothic church represents the so-called “Vistula-Baltic Gothic” style. It is a single-tower church, built on the floor plan of a Latin cross, with a transept. The main body of the church is a five-bay, three-nave and of a hall type. The width of the two-bay chancel, closed on three sides, is equal to the width of the main nave. Between the arms of the transept and the chancel, there are pentagonal sacristies with boxes (enclosed compartments) on the first floor. In the western part, there is a tower erected on a rectangular floor plan, with square church porches on the sides. The church is made of fired bricks. Its external walls are made of face bricks of three different colors, whereas the plinth is made of granite blocks. The central nave and the chancel are covered with stellar vaults. In the aisles and in the transept, there are rib vaults. The nave and the transept are gable-roofed. In other parts of the church, there are multi-hipped roofs, a tower and a ridge turret, as well as sacristies topped with pyramidal cupolas. The roofs were originally covered with tiles. Now, they are clad with galvanised and copper sheets (tower).

The shape of the church gives it an extremely varied and picturesque look. The façade is dominated by a six-storey, four-sided tower tapering towards the top. On the ground floor level, the tower has a portal topped with an ogee arch, enclosed by half pillars with pinnacles on top. Above the portal, there is a round window in the form of a rosette, which provides a backdrop for a stone crucifix. The middle storeys of the tower incorporate pointed-arch windows and blind windows. The penultimate lower storey is accentuated by blocky columns and arcaded friezes. The last octagonal storey, incorporates pointed-arched bell-shaped openings, terminated with small gable-shaped panels with pinnacles; the whole is covered with an eight-faceted cupola in the form of a spire. The gable wall of the main body of the church and the gable walls of the transept are stepped and divided with pointed-arch blind windows and topped with pinnacles. All elevations are surmounted by buttresses with pinnacles on top.

In the gable walls of the transept, there are double pointed-arched rectangular window openings. The window openings, together with the magnificent rosette, are surmounted by one pointed-arch frame. The divisions of the elevations and architectural details are highlighted by the contrasting colours of bricks. The interior is plastered and painted in two colors, with gilded details. Between the aisles, there are four-sided pillars with columns, which are adorned with floral capitals on the edges. The walls of the side aisles are divided by half-pillars in a similar way. All openings and clearances have a pointed arch outline. The furnishings of the church are neo-Gothic and date to the time of the construction of the church. After the Second World War, they were supplemented with furnishings, including 18th ones, transferred from pre-existing temples. The stained glass windows depict the Four Evangelists. 

The clergy house, situated on the eastern side of the church, is erected on an elongated rectangular floor plan. It has one storey, a two-bay interior layout and two vestibules in the form of spacious avant-corpses. The wooden walls of the clergy house are plastered. It is topped with a hipped roof with sheet metal cladding. Over the vestibules, there are gable roofs decorated with little pavilion roofs with pinnacles. The outer walls are smooth. The vestibules are surmounted with pseudo-pilasters and topped with corniced, pseudo-Baroque gables with a decorative outline, with imitations of oculi in the tympanum.

The heritage site is accessible upon prior arrangement by telephone.

compiled by Bożena Stanek-Lebioda, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Branch Office in Lublin, 31 July 2017

Bibliography

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