Inside, there are polychromes painted in the 1930s by Zofia Baudouin de Courtenay

History

The village of Chruślin was established in 1343 under the Średzkie law. It was an archbishops’ village belonging to the Archdiocese of Gniezno. Together with the estates of Strzebieszów and Rydwan and 10 other villages, it was a key property on the bishop lands of the Duchy of Łowicz.

It was also then that a parish was established in the village. The surviving historical records from 1366 contain information about the tithes paid to the local parish priest. The first church was probably wooden. As confirmed by dendrochronological research, the construction of the brick church, i.e. erection of the roof structure over the nave and the chancel, was completed in 1558. The church was probably built in stages and commenced with the addition of a brick sacristy to the wooden church. This is evidenced by the date 1534 etched above the sacristy window. Then the chancel was built. The inscriptions preserved in the church prove that a least these two parts of the new building must have already existed in 1538. The church was consecrated in 1556, as confirmed by the information on the plaque honouring the founders. Apart from the date, it features the coat of arms of Jastrzębiec, belonging to Primate Mikołaj Dzierzgowski. The plaque was placed on the wall of the apse of the chancel and it is assumed that it commemorates the completion of the apse. The sacristy was added in the same year. This is evidenced by the cartouche with the coat of arms of Belina. In its top part, there are letters JB (the initials of the founder, whose identity has never been established). The church was later enlarged by a builder who probably followed the style of Jan Baptiste the Venetian. In 1558, a portal was erected between the chancel and the sacristy. Above it, there is an identical cartouche with the date 1558.

In the description of the inspection of the church carried out 1759, it is mentioned that the exterior of the church had recently been renovated and that “moveable artifacts” had been restored thanks to the efforts of the provost (senior administrator) Pilichowicz.

There is a watercolour from the 1840s which shows the church from the northwest. It was painted by Teodor Chrząński for the official inventory of important buildings in Poland led by Kazimierz Stronczyński. The drawing shows the church porch in front of the western elevation. Based on that drawing, it can be presumed that there was another vestibule in front of the southern wall then, with the same architecture. The watercolour also shows the roof covering both the chancel and the sacristy. The outer buttresses reached the height of the roof and were connected with it.

In 1868, a renovation of the church was carried out. In 1893, the interiors were embellished with polychromes, including about 40 images of saints and emblems. The date A.D. MDCCCXCIII placed above the choir gallery is visible on photographs from the interwar period.

The roof and the vault of the church were destroyed during the First World War. During the reconstruction, the roof of the sacristy and of the chancel were separated with a cornice.

In 1930, a new choir gallery was built according to a design created by R. Gürtler and a new polychrome was painted inside the church by Zofia Baudouin de Courtenay.

Description

The church was erected in the centre of the village, on the axis of the Bielawa - Łowicz road. The church is oriented and stands in the middle of the church cemetery surrounded by a brick fence. The temple dates back to the mid-sixteenth century and was built in a style representing the turn of the Gothic and Renaissance.

It follows a rectangular floor plan. It is single-nave, with a narrower chancel on a square-like plan, ending with a semicircular apse. From the north, the chancel is adjoined a rectangular annex containing the sacristy. A new antechamber and a church porch were added to the nave from the south and west. Each of the structures that make up the body of the church has its own gable roofs. The roofs of the nave, chancel and of the western and southern porches are separated by brick gable walls. In contrast, the apse of the chancel is covered with a semi-conical roof and the sacristy has a shed roof. The roof trusses over the nave and the chancel are independent configurations with a double collar beam and a mixed king and queen post structure. They were assembled in a way which made it possible to place a semicircular cradle under them in the vault covering the nave and the chancel of the church.

The body of the church is reinforced with massive buttresses. There are six, rhythmically spaced buttresses at the northern wall of the nave and the chancel and another six at their southern wall.

The church is made of brick laid in a Polish Gothic patterns, covered with Monk and Nun tiles, unplastered.

The chancel, nave and the sacristy are barrel vaulted, whereas the apse has a hemispherical vault.

The western gable of the nave has a wavy outline. In its lower part, it is embellished with a row of arcaded blendes and above - with decorative motifs, including circles and a four-leaf pattern. The eastern gable of the nave is stepped in its lower part and is surmounted by a cylinder-shaped ridge turret. Inside the church porch, in its western part, there are some remnants of a Renaissance entrance portal. On the wall of the apse, there is a stone plaque with a cartouche containing the coat of arms of “Jastrzębiec”, honouring the memory of Primate Mikołaj Dzierzgowski and inscribed with the date 1556. On the eastern wall of the chancel annex, there is a cartouche featuring the “Belina” coat of arms. Above the stone lintel, the date 1534 is inscribed.

The northern wall is decorated with zendrówka bricks arranged into diamond shapes.

Inside, the nave and chancel walls are separated by large arcaded recesses. In the lower part of the vault, there is a row of blind arcades with full arches separated by columns.

In the western part, there is a new choir gallery. The stairs leading to the choir gallery are contained within the thickness of the wall. The entrance to the choir gallery is in the southern part of the western wall. The area under the choir gallery is contoured with a modest stone surround.

The chancel opening is topped with a semi-circular arch.

In the passage connecting the chancel with the sacristy, there is a stone Renaissance portal with bas-relief jambs and a lintel inscribed with the date 1558. Above the portal, there is a cartouche with the coat of arms of Belina and the initials I B of the founder. In the sacristy, there is a fireplace with a conical cover.

The embellishments of the main altar from the second quarter of the 17th century include a picture of the Mother of God with the Child in silver robes in regency style from around 1740 and a painting of the Holy Trinity from the first half of the 19th century. The finial is adorned with a painting of St. Francis supporting Jesus on the cross. The altar contains full-size sculptures of holy bishops. The two side altars of St. Apolonia and St. Barbara date back to the 18th century. The stone baptismal font with Ciołek and Belina coats of arms come from the first half of 18th century. The polychromes date to the 1930s. On the chancel arch, there is a polychrome presenting St. Trinity accompanied by martyrs. In the arcades under the nave vault, there are polychromes depicting saints. In the choir gallery, above the organ, there is a polychrome showing Christ surrounded by saints.

The church is accessible during services on Sundays and public holidays at 8.30 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. and on weekdays at 5 p.m. or upon prior arrangement: phone number (46) 838-20-92, e-mail: prk.chruslin@gmail.com

Compiled by Agnieszka Lorenc - Karczewska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 20 January 2018

Bibliography

• Kunkel R., Architektura gotycka w Polsce, Warszawa 2006
• Kunkel R., Jan Baptysta Wenecjanin, budowniczy i obywatel płocki, “Biuletyn Historii Sztuki”, no. 1 from 1983, pp. 25-46
• Lewicka M., Problematyka badań architektury renesansowej na Mazowszu, “Biuletyn Historii Sztuki” no. 2 from 1963, pp. 130-140,
• Lentowicz Z., Historical and architectural documentation of the church in Chruślin, Skierniewickie Voivodeship, Kielce 1977, archives of the Regional Monuments Protection Office in Łódź,
• Warchoł M., Ważny T., Badania konstrukcji dachowych kościoła p.w. św. Michała Archanioła w Chruślinie, Warszawa 2015 r., archives of the Regional Monuments Protection Office in Łódź,
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Vol. I and II, województwo łódzkie, edited by Jerzy Łoziński, Warszawa 1954.