Each of the parts of the building, i.e., Gothic tower, modern nave and transept, are representative of their times.

History

The church in Charnowo was built probably in the 15th century. The tower and a fragment of the nave walls date back to that period. In the following centuries, the church was altered and extended several times. A half-timbered part of the nave (chancel) was built probably in 1625, the north arm of the transept in 1847, and the south wind in 1863. The church was renovated in 1915 and in 1997-2000.

Description

The church is located in the centre of the village, in a depression on the eastern side of the road. The church is oriented. The plot of land occupied by the church is largely overgrown with old trees. The plot was formerly occupied by a graveyard beside a church, of which only one gravestone with a cross (of Gustaw Rohde, born in 1836, died in 1894) has been preserved to the present day. The plot of land borders on the wooded valley of the Słupia river to the east, a meadow to the north, and the village buildings to the south.

The church tower was designed in the Gothic style, is built of brick, and set on a foundation of fieldstone, with single stones incorporated in the façades. The northern arm of the transept (without part of the west façade), eastern part of the nave (chancel) and the gable end of the southern arm of the transept are half-timbered with clay and brick infills. The western part of the nave and the southern wing of the transept are built of brick and plastered.

The building is erected on the floor plan of an irregular cross and consists of a single-space nave (without a separate chancel) and two annexes forming the transept. The tower which is narrower than the nave is located on the west side. It is slightly moved away from the axis of the building. It is built on a square floor plan and has three storeys. The nave and transept are covered with gable roofs, whereas the tower with low four-slope dome with diagonally cut corners and an orifice. The western façade of the tower features a pointed-arched recessed portal. The southern, western and northern façades are pierced by few small windows surmounted by pointed arches and semicircular arches. The third storey of the tower is adorned with plastered plaques; one of the plaques (on the north façade) features a clear motif of a quatrefoil inscribed in a circle (other plaques are diluted). The body of the church is pierced by rectangular window openings. The window and door joinery was designed in the contemporary style, with the exception of two windows glazed using lead, later installed in the eastern gable end of the nave and the southern arm of the transept.

The interior of the church was once closed off with galleries on each side, which have been preserved along the western wall of the nave (organ gallery) and in the arms of the transept to the present day. The north arm of the transept features a sacristy. The preserved original furnishings include a Baroque main altar from the 17th-18th century and a polychromed founder’s pew from the 17th century (seat with a back stand separately).

The monument is open to visitors. Viewing of the church is possible directly before and after services.

compiled by Beata Dygulska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Gdańsk, 20-11-2015.

Bibliography

• Świetlicka A., Wisławska E., Słownik Historyczny Miast i Wsi Województwa Słupskiego, Słupsk 1998, str. 33;
• Brzóska E. i A.., Ustka jakiej nie znamy, Ustka 2006, str. 238 i 239