History

The parish in Boguszyce was founded probably in the early 14th century. The village was owned by the members of the family of the Rawicz coat of arms from Żelazna and Trzcianna, who at a later time assumed the name of Trzciński. The original church (which was also wooden) was located in Boguszyce before 1467. The first church of St Stanislaus - officially established in 1521 by bishop Jan Łaski - was founded by Prandot from Żelazna, the voivode of Rawa and Płock, who donated arable land, meadows, and garden for the benefit of the church. The existing church, built in the years 1550-1553, was founded by Wojciech Boguski, Rawicz coat of arms, staroste of Stromiec. In 1558, the church was consecrated by bishop Andrzej Noskowski. The painting covering the walls and ceilings of the naves and the chancel originates probably from the same year (it could be made by Jan Jantas, a painter from Warsaw). In the 18th century, the church remained under the auspices of the Jesuit college in Rawa, and after the order was compulsorily dissolved - under the auspices of stolnik (an honorary court title and a district office) of Mszczonów. In 1796, the external walls of the church were covered with sawn timber, and some time later, the southern porch and the sacristy was added to the church. In 1915, during the war, the walls of the church were damaged, especially the front façade. To reinforce the structure of the building, supports were used. During the renovation, also wood shingles on the roof were replaced. The western porch was built in the 1930s. In the north-western corner of the cemetery, there is a wooden belfry from the 18th century, built on a square floor plan and topped with a tented roof covered with wood shingles, transferred in 1962 from Lubochnia.

Description

The church is situated on a natural hill, by the ponds at the south-western edge of the village, preceded by a gate with two wicket gates, located in front of the western porch. The gate can be accessed by wide concrete stairs. The church is oriented, located in the middle of a cemetery circumscribed by a fence made from field stone in approx. 1890, with four chapels in the corners. The building has a three-nave body and was built on a nearly square floor plan, with a chancel on a rectangular floor plan terminating in a semi-hexagon from the east, equal in width to the main nave. The northern and western walls are adjoined by porches built on a rectangular floor plan. Also the sacristy adjoining the northern wall of the chancel was built on a rectangular floor plan. The church body is compact, cuboidal, with a high gable roof clad with wood shingles. The walls of the chancel are protected by eaves resting on corbels. Over the roof, there is a steeple turret topped by a hip roof. The walls and roof of the turret are covered with wood shingles. The western porch (from the 1930s) and the southern porch (from 1796), and the sacristy (from 1796), with separate gable roofs, are also covered with wood shingles. The church is made of wood, and supported by a log structure. The walls are covered with weatherbaords from outside, with battens at the joints, and supports reinforcing the chancel and the nave. The church sits on a brick foundation which is currently plastered. The wall base is made of oak wood and joined in the corners with scarf joints, and in the longer walls - with notched lap joints. In the southern and northern walls of the nave and the chancel, there are rectangular window openings with straight or segmental arch top section. The windows are of single-leaf type, ten-panel in the nave, and six-panel in the chancel. The external door was installed in the present times, and is comprised of one section, and mounted on strap hinges with ornamentation. The vaults in the naves and the chancel are smooth, with a false ceiling. The roof truss, of a single king post type, is made of wood with lying queen posts supporting the rafters. The naves and the chancel are covered by a single roof - the span of A-frame posts is adjusted to the size of the room. The nave, which is wider than the chancel, is covered by extended roof surfaces, slightly stepped along the line of the upper logs of the side walls, with corbels. Over the side naves, the upper logs of the side walls are lowered, with ceilings covered with weatherboards and painting. The floors in the nave and the chancel are made of boards, and in the porches - of concrete. The nave's interior is partitioned with two rows of pillars separating side naves which are lower than the main one. The ceilings in the chancel and the naves are flat. Along the western wall of the nave, there is a choir with a decorative balustrade. The pipe organ casing from the end of the 19th century, was made by Adolf Antoni Homan. The rood beam features a crucifix from the 16th century made by Jan Jantas to whom also the painting covering the walls and ceilings of the church is attributed. The Renaissance wall painting originates from approx. 1558. The ceilings in the nave and the chancel are covered with painting with framework motifs, filled with plant decoration, arabesques, and grotesque ornamentation. In the chancel, there is a medallion with Christ Pantocrator, and smaller medallions with the Four Evangelists. In the northern nave, there are depictions of the Seven Deadly Sins, and in the southern nave, there are seven male figures and two puttos with an escutcheon. On the northern wall of the chancel, there is a scene depicting conversion of St Paul and St Christoph. On the northern wall, there is an image of St Stanislaus. On the walls of the nave, there are images of Old Testament characters, among others Samson, St Adalbert, St Roch and St Martin, as well as scenes, e.g. Binding of Izaak, Worship of the Three Wise Men, Flagellation and Coronation of Christ with Thorns. Inside, there are also three altarpieces - late-Gothic triptychs. The main altar: in the predella, there is a relief scene of the Last Supper, on the sides - figures of St Stanislaus and St Adalbert. The central scene of the triptych is a relief of Crucifixion. On the leafs: scenes of the Passion of Christ on the face, and painted figures of Mary and the angel of the Annunciation on the back. The southern altar: a triptych with a central relief - a scene presenting the family of Mary, and in the top section, there is a painted scene of Transfiguration of Christ. On the leafs, there are painted scenes from the life of Jesus. The altar in the northern nave: a painted triptych depicting St Stanislaus and St Nepomuk, and on the leaves - St Peter, St Paul, St Jerome, and St John the Baptist.

The historic monument is accessible. It can be visited by prior telephone arrangement.

compiled by Agnieszka Lorenc-Karczewska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Łódź, 06-09-2014.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. 2: Województwo łódzkie, Warszawa 1954.
• Lubryczyńska M., Konserwacja i restauracja renesansowych malowideł ściennych drewnianego kościoła pw. św. Stanisława biskupa w Boguszycach koło Rawy Mazowieckiej, „Ochrona Zabytków” 2013, nr 1-4, s. 201-234.
• Mirowski R., Kościoły drewniane, najbardziej polskie..., Warszawa 2005, s. 44.
• Pracuta M., Zabytki ziemi rawskiej, Łódź 1965.
• Wawrzecki [ ], Drewniany kościół we wsi Boguszyce Kościelne, „Sprawozdanie Komisji Historii i Sztuki” 1906, t. 7.
• Zabytki architektury i budownictwa w Polsce, t. 38: Województwo skierniewickie, Warszawa 1996.