History

The church of St. Andrew the Apostle in Czerniewice was founded by Mieczysław, heir to the estate of Czerniewice with the coat of arms of Swan, and his son Andrzej Rzeszotko. It is presumed to have already existed before 1350. It was Mieczysław with his sons Andrzej, Domin, Mikołaj and Mieczysław who donated funds for the construction of the church. The church was officially opened for worship in 1413 by the archbishop of Gniezno, Mikołaj Trąba, after tributes in the form of land, a mill, money and one tenth of annual produce had been agreed. At the beginning of the 16th century, when Katarzyna Kuczka was the heiress of Czerniewice, Aleksy of Skrzyno became the parish priest. At that time, the parish congregation consisted of 144 people - inhabitants of Czerniewice, Studzianki, Wielka and Mała Wola. In 1609, Stefan Rudzki, of the coat of arms of Wąż (Polish for “Snake”), became the owner of Czerniewice. The church, made of larch wood, is thought to have burnt down in 1656, after the retreating Swedish army set fire to the village. The church was rebuilt in the 18th century. Although all documentary evidence was destroyed, the hypothesis that the church had burnt down completely has recently been challenged, especially in the light of conservation-related research.

 Aleksander Felix (Feliks) Lipski, starosta (community elder) of Rawa, of the Łada coat of arms, became the next owner of the family estate, which he aimed to extend and manage properly. He was one of the best Latin orators among landowners at that time and the coat of arms of his family is still used as the coat of arms of both the municipality and the village of Czerniewice. In 1699, Mikołaj Szczepanowski was appointed parish priest.

The preserved part of inspection reports and various church documents scattered around many archives in Poland provide more information about the fixtures and fittings of the church and the parish property from mid-18th century onwards.

Inspection reports from 1762 contain detailed information about the fixtures and fittings of the church in the 18th century. At that time, the church had four altars: the main altar of the Holy Trinity and the side altars: of Our Lady of Częstochowa, of Jesus Crucified and of St. Andrew the Apostle. The Inventory of church goods and ornaments from that time lists the following items:

• three chasubles: velvet red with a stole and a maniple, red chasuble from grodetur (thick silk fabric) with accessories, a black camlet (medieval Asian fabric of camel hair or angora wool) chasuble, as well as a chasuble from kałamajka fabric (patterned fabric made of worsted wool), with accessories.
• two antependia: velvet red antependium, red satin antependium with coats of arms.
• Red cloth for predellas and a carpet.
• Blue velum embroidered with silk. Yellow satin velum embroidered in the middle with the name Jesus. New muslin surplice.
• Three tablecloths.
• Two pairs of tin candlesticks, one pair of lead-coated wooden candlesticks.

And other items: 

Six corporals, a tin stoup. Umbrela covered with red tafetta (silk) fabric instead of a canopy. A gas umbraculum, decorated with silver, for covering the Blessed Sacrament, one confessional, nine pews and stelae in the smaller choir gallery.

The inspection report also contains information about the state of preservation of the building, which mentions a new sacristy with bars in the windows, a painted pulpit placed in the central part of the church, on the Gospel side. It mentions a plank floor and a renovated and painted ceiling. The choir gallery and the walls were embellished with multi-colour decorations. The inspection report does not specify the method or type of decorations. According to the report, the shingled roof was repaired and the bell turret was restored to a good condition. The church was equipped with a portable organ, the so-called positive organ with six stops and two drums of indeterminate date.

The report also mentions a west-facing bell tower in the vicinity of the church. It contained five bells. It further mentions a morgue from the north and a well-fenced cemetery with closed gates. It likewise mentions the neat, one-room clergy house with a north-facing corner extension overlooking the church. One can also find a description of the former brewery and the adjacent barns and stables.

As was the custom in those days, an “Inventory” of the parish property was kept. It contained information about the villages belonging to the parish and its other fixed assets. This information was copied and supplemented during successive inspections. The parish also maintained an Income and Expense Register, which provides insight into its economy and thrift.

On 16 July 1776, Antoni Kamiński took charge as the next parish priest. On 4 June 1796, Antoni Turski became the new owner of Czerniewice and the neighbouring properties (Studzianki, Zagóry). He subsequently sold his estate to Stanisław Lipski, Grabie coat of arms (Polish for “Rake”). In 1809, he founded a new settlement which he named Stanisławów Lipski. In 1820, he also found the village of Teodozjów. In the following years, Czerniewice changed owners many times: 1832 Andrzej Marszewski, 1833 Kacper Kuczyński, 1837 Jan Wojciech, Józef Lechowski. When the estate was in the hands of the last of the above-mentioned owners, several new institutions were built in the parish: in 1841, the Court of the Third Region of the District of Rawa Mazowiecka, municipality, a school and a shelter for the elderly and the disabled. The buildings were looked after by the parish priest Jan Klemens Uchański. In the years 1845-1846, church grounds in six separate locations were exchanged for one property around the church by means of a notary deed signed in the presence of priest Andrzej Radomiński and Jan Lechowski. Between 1818 and 1866, an inventory was taken regularly, to which a description of the condition of the church was attached.

The period of the First World War was not fortunate for the temple. In 1914-1918, the Germans turned the building into a stable for horses, and liturgical vestments were used as horse-cloths.

Renovations of the church between 1916 and 2012

The damage sustained during the First World War forced the then parish priest Józef Czerniecki to appoint a supervisory body for the church in 1916. It was hard to obtain financial assistance then. Therefore, the necessary renovation was not completed until 1938. Contributions from parishioners and the then heirs - Adolf Buchowski, Helena Lechowska and Tytus Wilski were used to provide the church interiors with new furnishings, vessels and liturgical vestments.

Thanks to the parish priest Henryk Bogacki, the renovation of the church finally began in 1948. It involved changes to the internal structure of the building. The new internal structure was maintained by the next parish priests who were in charge of the church in Czerniewice. At that time, some of the more damaged sole plates were replaced, the leaning church was straightened, the turret was renovated and lightning conductors were installed. In 1957, priest Kazimierz Ignaczuk succeeded in having the church thoroughly renovated both inside and outside. Scratches and chipping plaster were removed, the walls and ceiling were painted with chalk, the floor was renovated, the pulpit and the tabernacle were repainted gold. The roof of the sacristy was modified. The church was fitted with an electrical installation. The interiors of the Church were enriched with new furniture and fittings. The altars were renovated at that time too.

The repairs were continued by Aleksander Kamiński, who took over as the parish priest in 1959. In ten years, the church ceiling was painted with motifs referring to the Litany of Loreto, and the old wainscotting was covered with planks. During the renovation of the roof in 1960, 75 m2 of wood shingles were replaced.

In 1970, the then parish priest Jerzy Biernacki had the lighting and sound systems replaced in the church. A cupboard for liturgical vestments was bought for the sacristy, as well as the furniture for the classrooms where religious instruction was provided.

The renovation works were continued by the next parish priest, Henryk Sobiecki, who ordered repairs regularly. In 1977, the interiors of the church and the altars were painted, and the old roof was replaced with a shingle roof. In 1978, the sound system was replaced again, double windows were fitted in and double storage heaters were installed.

In 1988, priest Stanisław Ciąpała took over as the parish administrator. In 1991, the walls of the church were repainted again and the panelling was renovated. The ceiling, previously featuring adoration of the Holy Trinity, was repainted too. The paintings of Our Lady of the Angels (1992) and Our Lady of Częstochowa (date unknown) were also restored, as well as the sculpture of Jesus Christ Crucified (2007).

Priest Henryk Sobiecki (since 1995) and priest Krzysztof Osiński (since 2005) engaged themselves in the construction of a new, brick church. As a result, the wooden church was used less frequently and gradually fell into disrepair. However, when Adam Kostrzewa became the parish administrator in 2014, he set himself a mission to restore the old church.

Restoration of the object between 2013 -2017

In 2013, research was carried out under the supervision of Jakub Bałtowski with the aim to prepare the dilapidated building for conservation works. Their results suggested that the church may have been built much earlier (15th century) than previously indicated in the existing sources (18th century). This was confirmed by the dendrochronological research conducted in 2015, during which it was found that the church had been built from logs produced from larch trees cut between 1422 and 1423. As confirmed by the findings of the researcher Marek Krąpiec, the wood had no signs of having been reused. Therefore, it is thought that the currently existing church of St. Andrew the Apostle was ordered to be built by the heirs of Czerniewice Mieczysław and Andrzej Rzeszotek in the 15th century. Based on the completed research, it was also established that the roof truss had been constructed much later. The wooden logs used for its construction come from the 17th century and the 1920s. It was also discovered that the extension of the church and addition of the church porch had taken place after 1740.

Archaeological excavations performed outside the building on the northern side of the chancel confirmed the presence of a sacristy that had been hypothesized to have existed there. The reason for this was a passage that had been bricked up. At a distance of about 3.50 metres from the church, some remnants of the foundations of the northern wall of the sacristy were discovered. The excavations carried out inside the temple revealed numerous burials there. Admittedly, the only evidence of this are numerous pottery fragments. However, these fragments include a piece from a sandstone epitaph, whose underside shape matched that of the marble crypt.

The remaining excavations confirmed the next phases of the church construction, where the foundations of the chancel and the first part of the nave were built first and in a similar way, whereas the foundations of the extension and of the church porch come from a more recent period. The present-day ridge turret was placed on top of the front elevation when the extended nave had already existed. In the nave section of ​​the roof truss next to the chancel, one could discern traces left by a small ridge turret. Today, a ridge turret tops the temple again.

Polychrome decorations 

Based on the research of brick bonding patterns performed by Jacek Bagniuk, the polychrome is thought to have been made using the tempera technique, probably in 1645, on a wooden log surface. Considering their non-uniform character, however, they may come from different periods of time, possibly earlier. Unfortunately, the paint layer is damaged, darkened and in some places covered with white paint, which hinders its iconographic analysis.

At present, the church is being renovated and is scheduled to undergo a complete conservation process.

Description

The heritage site is situated in the centre of the village of Czerniewice at an intersection of the local roads. It is surrounded by a brick wall with an iron gate and two gates from the west and one gate from the east, which leads to the clergy house. Just next to the northern side of the church, there was a parish garden, originally a cemetery. There is a well with a wooden crane there. In its south-west corner of the land plot, there is an 18th-century wooden bell tower on a square-like floor plan. The church is oriented, with a single nave and a narrower, polygonally terminated chancel, gabled and clad with wood shingles. In the middle of the roof, there was initially a small dome covered with flat sheets of metal and surmounted with an iron cross. The dome was dismantled at an unknown date. At present, there is a shingle-covered ridge turret with an iron cross there. The front elevation has a two-storey turret with an iron cross on top. It is clad with wood shingles too. A door opening that had once led to the old sacristy is visible in the northern wall of the chancel. The south-facing part consists of a sacristy and a porch, with a rectangular door opening between them. In the west-facing part, there is a small vestibule used as the main entrance to the church. It is gabled and clad with wood shingles.

The gable roof has a wooden purlin and collar beam structure with raking shores in two directions and a horizontal tie beam. The columns supporting the purlins are interspersed every five rafters, forming a full truss. The columns are placed on ground plates in two rows. At the line of the eaves, transverse bracing was additionally placed on the external rafter to soften the profile of the roof. At the end of the chancel, there is a tented roof.

The building has wooden walls built from notched logs piled one on top of the other. Its external walls are weatherboarded with planks attached with wooden battens and iron screws. The church has 8 rectangular windows, each divided into 4 or 8 sections. On the northern side, there are 4 windows (two in the chancel and two larger ones in the first bays of the nave. The last bay of the nave, added later, has no window openings) and neither has the bay at the south end. In the west-facing part, under the cornice, there are two rectangular window openings. In the top section of the roof, there is a round window opening divided into 4 sections.

Until 2015, the walls inside the church were plastered on reeds and divided by fluted pillars. Further above, there was a profiled cornice running around the entire church. The nave and the chancel were covered with a flat wooden ceiling. In contrast, in the vestibule and the sacristy, there is a plank ceiling imitating a barrel vault. In the sacristy, it turns into a flat one. The floors in the church are made of wooden planks. The internal stairs, made of wood too, provided access to the choir and organ gallery from the church vestibule.

Fixtures and fittings:

Since the 18th century, new items have been gradually added to the fixtures and fittings of the church of St. Andrew the Apostle in Czerniewice.

 a) The great altar - 

A late Renaissance altar, currently under conservation, from around the mid-17th century, wooden, 450 cm x 300 cm. The artist remains unknown.

The composition of the altar is architectural. It consists of one section flanked by grooved columns, with small putto heads and a floral ornament in its lower half. In the middle of the rectangular field, there is a sculpture of Jesus Christ Crucified, dated to the first half of the 17th century. At its top, there is a rectangular board with the word INRI. Above the surround, there is a frieze with a floral ornament, above which there is a cornice. On the sides of the altars, there are pictures with representations of St. Andrew the Apostle on the left and St. Tekla on the right, placed in oval panels ornamented with vines. Below, the ornament is repeated symmetrically. Slightly further away, there are figures of the evangelists St. Luke and St. John. Sculptures of two angels, probably removed from the top of the altar, are placed in the background of the central representation.

The full-figure sculpture of Jesus Christ, the author of which is unknown, was made from polychromed linden wood from a primeval forest. The figure is presented in a dynamic and expressive way, evoking a dramatic mood, which is characteristic for 17-century sculptures of this kind. Initially, the sculpture had been placed on the rood beam, from where it was relocated to the Main Altar, probably in 1763.

The painting of St. Andrew the Apostle is an oil painting from the first half of the 17th century, with dimensions of 100 cm x 60 cm. The figure of the saint was painted against the background of a landscape. Between his arms, he holds an X-shaped cross. His head is surrounded by a halo.

The painting of Saint Tekla with dimensions of 100 cm x 60 cm is an oil painting too and dates to the same period. The figure of Saint Tekla is presented against the background of a mountainous landscape. The figure is slightly bent to her right side and holds a cross in her right hand and a palm tree in her left hand. IN the background, there is also a black snake and a green dragon. A dove soars overhead.

The figurine of Saint Luke, probably made of wood in the first half of the 17th century, is 80 cm high. Saint Luke is presented frontally, with his right hand pressed to his side, holding a closed book.The figurine of Saint John the Apostle from the first half of the 17th century is of a similar height. The saint is shown frontally as a young, barefoot man. His arms, bent at the elbows, are slightly raised. There is a book in his left hand. He is holding his right hand above the book, with his index finger pointing up. An eagle is partly visible at his left foot.On the altar mensa, there is a wooden tabernacle. The door is decorated with a Eucharistic symbol.

b) The side altars have been moved to the new church

Funds for the construction of the two side altars were donated by Wojciech Fetrasiewicz in 1871. Both are wooden, architectural and embellished with a painting flanked by Corinthian columns which support the architrave, with a cornice above it. A reredos with an oval-shaped painting connected by scroll-like volutes. Half-fluted columns. A wooden antependium with a decorative panel.

The altar of St. Andrew the Apostle is positioned at the northern wall of the nave. It contains a painting of the patron of the church and has dimensions of 200 cm x 100 cm. The figure of the Saint, holding the cross on his right shoulder, stands on a small hill among clouds. There is a town visible in the background. At the top of the altar, there is an oval-shaped painting of St. Roch from the former altar of St. Anthony. It is an oil painting painted on canvas with dimensions of 100 cm x 80 cm.

The altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was placed at the southern wall of the nave, where there is also a painting of Our Lady of the Angels. The painting was made on a linden board with dimensions of 118.50 cm x 81 cm. The original paint layer was made using a mixed technique that combined tempera and oil, whereas the drawing and the underlying tempera painting have an oil glaze finish. The painting is dated to the end of the 16th century. It presents the figure of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon, holding the Child in her left arm. In her right hand, she is holding a flower. In his left hand, the little Jesus is holding a dove sitting on his lap. In the right and left corner of the painting, there are two angels holding a crown over the head of Virgin Mary. In the background, there is a surface covered with rays and flowers all around the figure of Virgin Mary, made in low relief. This type of Madonna is representative of compositions depicting the Apocalyptic Woman and is characteristic for Gothic art. At the top of the altar, there is an oil canvas painting depicting St. Anna. Its dimensions are 100cm x80cm. The painting shows St. Anna with Mary as a teenager, who is sitting on a stone bench. The two woman are leaning towards each other, engrossed in reading a book.

c) The painting of the Holy Trinity (Pieta Patris) - 

On the right side of the Great Altar, there is a painting of the Adoration of the Holy Trinity, initially placed on the ceiling of the nave. It is an oil canvas painting from the beginning of the 18th century. The painting has a form of a rectangle with a semicircular top and rounded bottom corners. It is a closed composition with a centrally placed figure of God the Father holding the deceased Christ in his arms. Angels are gathered around them. In the foreground, there are Arma Christi - objects associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ.

d) Pulpit - 

A Baroque, simple, wooden, five-sided, resting on an octagonal pillar. Its side walls are filled with decorative panels. The railing of the stairs is wooden too. It probably dates to a period following the 1871 renovation.

e) Baptismal font -

Baroque, made of sandstone, covered with oil paint, with a wooden base and a lid from the 17th century. The lid has a shape of a strongly flattened sphere with a cylindrical part covered with a cap with a pomegranate-shaped top. Its height is 170 cm. It rests on a square base measuring 45 cm x 45 cm. The base is black, the foot and covers are white and the other parts are olive green. It has been relocated to the new church.

f) Holy water font -

Another noteworthy item is the late Gothic, commemorative holy water font, made of hewn sandstone, inscribed with IPRA / 1771V or 1551V with the initial letters in a larger format. Presumably, there are the initials of the founder and the date of construction. In the source literature, however, the font is dated to the 16th century. Dimensions 85cm x 55cm.

g). Eternal lamp -

lamp dating to the 19th century, made of copper alloy in an eclectic style. Suspended on three chains with S-shaped links, which end with tripartite leaves. The canopy has a shape of an open crown. The upper part is topped with an openwork wine pattern with a floral ornament, the lower part tapers downwards with a suspended pine cone. The chains are clasped with an openwork plate, forming concentrically arranged vine leaves.

h) Pipe organ - 

The pipe organ from 1850 was produced by a self-taught artisan. Manual with 49 keys. A single-section gallery carrying the organ, with two towers, is set on a plinth which starts at the level of the choir gallery.

Other church furniture and fittings come from contemporary times.

Property of the parish. The church can be viewed from outside.

Compiled by Aleksandra Preczyńska, student of the University of Łódź, field of study: history of art 16 August 2019

Bibliography

• State Archives in Łódź, Microfilm, Files of the church in Czerniewice 1818 – 1866, file no. 123119, Compilation from 2014
• Rocznik Archidiecezji Warszawskiej zawierający spis duchowieństwa i parafii, Warszawa, 1966
• Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office, Record sheet of monuments of architecture and construction, Piotrków Trybunalski, compiled by J. Gwóźdź in 1967
• Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office, Piotrków Trybunalski, file reference number 00151
• Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office, Datowanie bezwzględne próbek drewna z kościoła p.w. św. Andrzeja w Czerniewicach, Piotrków Trybunalski, compiled by M. Krąpiec, Cianowice 2015
• Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office, Dokumentacja konserwatorska powykonawczo-ikonograficzna rzeźby Jezusa Chrystusa Ukrzyżowanego, Piotrków Trybunalski, compiled by Z. Jasiński, Zgierz 2007
• B. Adamowicz, Koscioły Czerniewickie – 600 lat parafii, Czerniewice 2013.
• J. Łaski, Liber Beneficjorum, Vol. 2,
• J.Z. Łoziński, Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, Vol. II, Warszawa 1954
• A.Napiórkowska, Renowacja kościoła w Czerniewicach, “Gość Łowicki”, 2015
• F. Sulimierski, Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich. Vol. 1, publishing house Wyd. Artystyczne i Filmowe 1975
• A. Preczyńska, praca licencjacka „Monografia kościoła pw. Św. Andrzeja Apostoła w Czerniewicach”, UŁ, 2018