Church of St. Martin the Bishop - Zabytek.pl
Address
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Gminna 15/21
Location
woj. łódzkie, pow. tomaszowski, gm. Tomaszów Mazowiecki (gm. miejska)
History
The church was previously situated in the village of Białobrzegi, which became a part of the town of Tomaszów in 1977. Initially, it belonged to the Diocese of Sandomierz. Now, it belongs to the Diocese of Radom. The local parish has existed since the 15th century. In 1521, the parish had a wooden church of St. Martin. In 1734, the parish priest in Białobrzegi was Szymon Ewaryst Kobyliński, who was renowned for his management skills. In 1746, he built a new wooden church and also had it furnished and decorated. Initially, there were five altars in the church, including the main one with a painting of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Between 1981 and 1986, a new brick building was erected near the old temple. In 2014, a partial renovation of the church was carried out. It included external works: insulation, replacement of the roof and the roof truss, recladding with new weatherboards, etc.
Description
The church is located in the south-eastern part of the town, in the district of Białobrzegi, named after the former village of Białobrzegi. It is located on an irregularly shaped plot of land - previously a church cemetery. It is surrounded by a brick fence with a bell tower from 1902.
The new temple stands to the south of the old church. The church is not oriented, with the chancel facing north.
Late Baroque temple. The church is built on a floor plan consisting of several interconnected square-like quadrangles: the nave is preceded by a porch from the south. From the west, the nave is adjoined by another porch and the sacristy. Only the chancel was built on a floor plan of a rectangle, which is narrower than the nave. It is lower than the nave and is separately gabled. On top, there is a steeple (contemporary). The nave and porches are covered with gable roofs too. The sacristy has a three-hipped roof.
The wooden church has a log structure, it is set on a foundation and clad with weatherboards on both sides. The wooden principal block is adjoined by the sacristy and the porch, both with brick and plaster walls. The wooden truss is contemporary. The roof is covered with wood shingles.
All wooden parts of the elevations are clad with modern weatherboards with battens. They are crowned by profiled cornices. Above them, there are eaves of the roof. In the eastern and western elevations, there are two windows in the nave and another two (including one smaller) in the chancel. The window openings are rectangular, with a segmental arch in the middle section of the top part. The sacristy has corners accentuated by quoins, with an entrance opening placed in the eastern side and a small window in the northern side. In the western elevation, the wooden porch adjoins the wall section between the two windows of the nave. In the south-facing brick porch, the door openings were placed in the side walls. In the southern wall, there is a shallow niche.
In the southern part of the nave, there is a wooden choir gallery supported by two columns. It houses the pipe organ. The nave and the narrower chancel are separated by a rood beam and an openwork balustrade. The latter is positioned more deeply. In the sacristy, there are stairs leading to the attic - the former chapel of Our Lady of Graces. At present, conservation works are underway in the temple.
The interior of the church is adorned with Baroque decorations from the period of the construction of the temple. On the side altar of St. Martin, there is a preserved inscription with the date 1759. There are three altars and a pulpit. On the western wall, there is an epitaph honouring the memory of the heirs of the nearby estates. The remaining movable fixtures and fittings have been secured and will return to the temple as soon as the conservation works inside the church are completed.
The church can be viewed from outside all year round. It can be toured inside upon prior arrangement with the parish priest.
Compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 14 April 2020
Bibliography
- Rocznik Diecezji Radomskiej - 2018
- Wiśniewski J., Dekanat opoczyński, Radom 1913
Category: church
Architecture: nieznana
Building material:
wood
Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records
Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_10_BK.141113, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_10_BK.178745