The temple designed by a local architect Wiktor Stabrowski from Kcynia is an interesting example of neo-Gothic sacral architecture in use at that time on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Poznań. Together with the rectory and the churchyard they are a valuable example of sacral architecture in Wielkopolska.

History of the structure

Grylewo village was mentioned in 1213 as the property of the Cistercians from Łękno, who founded the first church here. In 1747 thanks to the efforts of parish priest Jan Jaśkowski a wooden church was erected, which existed until the middle of the 19th century. A rectory was built next to the church in the late 18th or early 19th century. The present church was erected in 1861-1864 on the site of the previous one, which was destroyed. The church was designed by Wiktor Stabrowski of Kcynia, an architect popular in the region of Pałuki. He studied in Poznań and was the author of several palaces and mansions: in Czeszewo, Stępuchowo, Rozpędek, Sierniki near Żnin and the church in Kozielsk. The parish priest at that time was Antoni Gertych, assisted by vicars Sobiecki and Antoni Leichert. The church was founded by Countess Antonina Grabowska nee Nieżychowska, the owner of the Grylewo estate. The architect probably prepared several projects and the authorities approved a more modest one. In 1860, the laying of stone foundations began. In 1861 windows and crosses for the church were cast in the Cegielski factory in Poznań. A year later the walls and tower were erected and the church was covered with slate. In 1863 the vault in the chancel and chapels and the ceiling over the nave were made. In 1864 cast iron windows were put in, a marbleised main altar, choir, paintings on the ceiling, side altar, confessional were made, and organs were brought from Wrocław. In 1865, a pulpit, baptismal font, side altar and pews were ordered from abroad, and a wall was built around the church. In 1903, a bell was founded. Jakub Sikora was the parish priest at that time. The church was consecrated in 1961. In 1974 the church and fence were repaired, central heating and lightning conductors were installed, the roof was covered with tar paper, and in 1997 the tin covering of the tower was repaired and painted.

Description of the structure

Grylewo is located by the railroad line Wągrowiec-Bydgoszcz, 11 km north of Wągrowiec, by Grylewskie Lake. The church is situated on a hill about 50 meters north of the lake. The area of the church cemetery, on a nine-sided plan, is surrounded by a wall made of ceramic brick, whose openwork elements (with an X-shaped openwork of diagonally arranged bricks) are separated by posts. The church is surrounded by a processional road, partly paved with flagstones. On the northwest side of the fence there is a gate made of metal bars, made before 1945, behind which there are stairs leading to the church area. To the southeast is a wicket leading to the rectory. There is a break in the wall behind the chancel.

The church was built on the plan of an elongated rectangle of red brick on a foundation of granite blocks. Oriented, single-nave, with two rectangular chapels on the northern and southern walls. Adjoining the nave from the east is a rectangular chancel closed on three sides, surrounded by an ambulatory consisting of a patron’s lodge and a utility room from the north, the entrance to the crypt from the east and the sacristy from the south. Adjoining the nave from the west is a tower on a rectangular floor plan with arcaded friezes, containing a porch and a staircase to the choir. Its last storey, 8-sided, is covered with a high tower cupola. The outside corners are marked by octagonal turrets. The compact, one-storey church consists of a high nave, a lower and narrower chancel, surrounded by a lower ambulatory. In the front, there is a centrally located five-storey tower. Brick elevations, pointed-arch windows with coloured glazing. On the eastern and western walls of the temple there are white sculptures depicting St. Apostles Peter and Paul. Inside, a wooden ceiling suspended to the rafters. The furnishings of the church are entirely in neo-Gothic style and date from the time of its construction. The church has a main altar and two side altars. In one of them there is a painting famous for its miraculous powers of Our Lady of Grylewo. The paintings were brought to Poland from Italy in the 19th century. On the outside wall of the church there is an epitaph plaque of Father Leon Taczak (1884-1942), the brother of the first commander of the Wielkopolska Uprising, martyred in the camp in Dachau.

Visitor access: the site is open to visitors.

Compiled by: Beata Marzęta, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Poznań, 18.12.2017

Bibliography

• Anders P., Pałuki, Poznań 1997, p. 34
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, Vol. V, z. 27, Warsaw 1964, p. 7
• Słownik Krajoznawczy Wielkopolski, Warszawa-Poznań 1992, p. 82