History

A parish in Dębno Królewskie was mentioned by written records for the first time in 1479. Until 1818, it was part of the Gniezno Archdiocese; subsequently, as a filial church of first the parish in Osiek Wielki and then the parish in Dęby Szlacheckie, it was part of the Włocławek Diocese (then: Kuyavian-Pomeranian Diocese). The present Church of St Michael the Archangel was built in what is now the village of Dębno Poproboszczowskie (formerly a part of Dębno Królewskie) owing to the efforts of the parish-priest Szymon Sochacki, in c. 1766, possibly as a result of renovation and modification works on the previous church building, also made of wood. The church was extended in c. 1906: the nave was made longer. During World War II, the Germans robbed the church of liturgical vessels, chasubles, linen, and bells. Moreover, they destroyed the bell tower and a mission church erected in 1928. The church fittings, including a pipe organ, were destroyed by Black Sea Germans who temporarily lived in the church following their displacement in the years 1939-1941 from the south-western territories of the Soviet Union to Greater Poland, annexed as Warthegau to the Third Reich. Major renovation works on the church were commenced in 1985. In 1987, the wooden main porch was added.

Description

The village of Dębno Królewskie is located 12 km to the north of Koło, by a road leading to Babiak. The present Church of St Michael the Archangel is situated in Dębno Poproboszczowskie, which borders Dębno Królewskie on the west side. It is enclosed with a low wall made of cobblestone and brick. In the church yard, there are old trees and solitary graves. The walls of the building rest on a wall base made of crushed cobblestone bound by lime mortar. The church, oriented to the east, has a wooden log structure; the walls are covered with weatherboards on both sides. It has one nave (with no aisles) and a lower and narrower chancel terminating in a semi-hexagon and adjoined by a sacristy on the north side. A porch adjoins the nave on the south side. The building has gable roofs covered with wood shingles, with a sheet metal steeple crowned with a lantern and a sheet metal tented roof. Inside, there is a flat ceiling. The church features a main altar dating from the 2nd half of the 18th century, incorporating a painting depicting St Michael the Archangel. There is also a music gallery supported by two posts and covered with a false barrel vault. Outside, there is a modern metal bell tower.

The church can be visited from the outside. Holy Masses: Sunday at 7.30 and 9.00 AM, weekdays at 6.00 PM, public holidays falling on weekdays at 8.00 AM and 4.00 PM.

compiled by Tomasz Łuczak, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Poznan, 16-11-2015.

Bibliography

• Diecezja włocławska 2000, red. W. Frątczak, W. Kujawski, A. Poniński, K. Rulka, L. Urbański, Włocławek 2001, s. 245.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. 5, Woj. wielkopolskie, red. Teresa Ruszczyńska, Aniela Sławska, z. 8, Pow. kolski, opr. J. Rutkowska, Warszawa 1960, s. 6.
• Kościoły drewniane w Wielkopolsce, red. Mariusz Grzebalski, Poznań 2004, s. 55.
• Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Województwo konińskie. Szkic monograficzny, Warszawa-Poznań 1983, s. 144.
• Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Ziemia konińska. Przewodnik turystyczny, Konin 2002, s. 76.
• Wielkopolska. Słownik krajoznawczy, red. Łęcki Włodzimierz, Poznań 2002, s. 60.
• http://kosciolydrewniane.pl - odsłona z listopada 2015 r.