History of the structure

Kościelec Kolski is a village with medieval origins, the former property and seat of the starost of Koło. The earliest traces of historical settlement date back to the 10th century. In the oldest written reference contained in a document dated 1362, the village is called Kościół. The parish in Kościelec was probably founded in the second half of the 12th century. In 1522 it was merged with the parish provost of Koło for the first time, and then a second time in 1764. It was not until 1865 that it became independent.

The first church of St. Andrew was built in the middle of the 12th century in Romanesque style, made of granite blocks. Its preserved parts form the chancel of the present church. In 1601 a brick sacristy and treasury were added (the date of construction is on the sacristy wall). In 1760 Rafał Gurowski added a timber-framed nave with adjoining porches - the larger one on the west side and the smaller one on the south side. In 2001, the nave was bricked over with a new brick structure and then demolished. On 25 September 2011 the church was consecrated by Bishop Wiesław Mering.

Description of the structure

Kościelec Kolski is located at the crossroads of the roads connecting Poznań with Warsaw (locally Konin with Koło) and Kościelec with Turek. The oriented church of St. Andrew is situated in the centre of the village, south of the palace and park complex. The brick chancel, made of granite, which is a remnant of the original Romanesque temple, is adjoined by a sacristy and a treasury built of brick laid in the Polish bond. A modern, brick, non-stylish nave adjoins the chance from the west. The nave is covered by a gable roof laid with roof tiles. The gable roof over the presbytery, with a square ridge turret with a lantern and a cupola topped with a cross, is covered with sheet metal. On the walls of the aisleless chancel closed with a semicircular apse in the part of the former nave there are traces of Romanesque window openings preserved next to the pointed-arch window. In addition, two Romanesque windows are located in the wall of the apse. The chancel apse is covered with a hemispherical vault, while the sacristy and the treasury are covered with a barrel vault.

To the southwest of the church there is a contemporary brick bell tower. To the north of the church, in the southern part of the former palace park, separated from the present residence by the road connecting Konin and Koło, on a pillar decorated with cartouches with inscriptions stands a sandstone figure of St. John of Nepomuk dating from the second half of the 18th century.

Visitor access: The church is open to visitors from the outside.

Author of the note: Tomasz Łuczak, 18.12.2017

Bibliography

• Diecezja włocławska 2000, ed. W. Frątczak, W. Kujawski, A. Poniński, K. Rulka, L. Urbański, Włocławek 2001, pp. 298-299.
• Kościelec – kościół parafialny rzymsko-katolicki pw. św. Andrzeja, Record sheet of monuments of architecture and construction, compiled by M. Sawicki, 1984, Archive of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Officer in Poznań - Branch in Konin.
• Wielkopolska. Słownik krajoznawczy, ed. Łęcki Włodzimierz, Poznań 2002, p 152.
• Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Województwo konińskie. Szkic monograficzny, Warszawa-Poznań 1983, pp. 199-202.
• Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Ziemia konińska. Przewodnik turystyczny, Konin 2002, p. 102.