The single-nave church with the structure of a late Gothic temple, the oldest part of which dates back to 1532, with a tower from 1760 and Rococo furnishings, has preserved, with minor transformations, its form from the period of its construction. A bell tower from the 18th century is located on the cemetery.

History of the structure

Blizanów village was established at the end of the 13th century. At first it was a ducal property and then a royal property administered by starosts. Around 1760 Blizanów became the property of Maksymilian Molski, castellan of Rogozino, by royal grant. The church in Blizanów was mentioned for the first time around 1380, when it was endowed by prince Przemysław. In 1532, a wooden one-sided church was erected, which forms part of the present church. From 1568 to the end of the 16th century it was in the hands of the Czech Brethren. Around 1610-11, a chapel dedicated to St. Tekla was added to the church from the north. In the years 1730-60 the church tower and side porch were built. At that time a thorough restoration of the church was carried out, giving it its present form. The polychrome in the church and the painting of the Mother of God and Child, founded by the Castellan’s wife, Molska, probably come from this period. The wooden bell tower was built in the second half of the 18th century. In the years 1875-85 – further renovation of the church was noted. The most recent renovation took place in 1988 and 1990.

Description of the structure

Blizanów is located 17 km north of Kalisz, on the main road Pleszew-Stawiszyn. The parish church is situated on a hill in the south-western part of the village. South of the church, behind the wall, a brick rectory is located. The area around the church is an irregular polygon, with a cemetery with old trees, fenced with a wooden fence on a concrete foundation. The gate posts are made of brick, plastered. On the south side of the church there is a wooden, columned, boarded, two-storey bell tower with a shingled roof. The oriented temple in Blizanów was built as a log structure based on a stone foundation. The tower has a post-and-beam structure. The walls of the church are boarded on the outside. The tower has a post-and-beam structure, boarded. A one-nave church with a slightly narrower, three-sided closed chancel, which is accessed from the north by the entrance to the sacristy. From the west, the tower is narrower than the main body, on a square floor plan, with a porch in the ground floor. The nave and the chancel are covered with gable roofs with one ridge. The sacristy is covered with a shed roof formed by the extension of the northern plane of the chancel roof. Chapel with a tented, four-sloped roof, topped by a spire with a sphere and cross. Side porch roof with a significant slope. The church roofs are covered with wood shingles. The tower has a four-sloped roof, covered with sheet metal, with an octagonal lantern topped with a bulbous cupola with a sphere and cross. In the nave body, the window openings are symmetrically arranged in the form of elongated standing rectangles, topped with a semi-circular arch. Three oculi in the chancel. Wooden windows, glazed with white and coloured glass. Wooden double-leaf and single-leaf planked doors.

The interior of the church is single-space, with a slightly raised chancel. The whole is covered with a flat wooden ceiling. The choir gallery is supported by profiled columns. In the east wall, behind the main altar, there is a door leading to the sacristy, which is located in the closure of the chancel. The Rococo furnishings of the church were mostly made in the second half of the 18th century, including the main altar and two side altars. They feature sculptures of saints and Our Lady of Częstochowa in a silver dress, founded by Anna Molska. A confessional, two benches and a kneeler come from the same period.

Visitor access. The church can be visited from the outside. Viewing of the church interior is only possible by prior arrangement with the parish office.

Author of the note: Teresa Palacz, 01.03.2018

Bibliography

• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Vol. V, Z. 3: Powiat kaliski, ed. T. Ruszczyńska, A. Sławska, Warsaw 1959.
• Kohte J., Verzeichnis der Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Posen, Vol. IV, Berlin 1898.
• Kościoły drewniane w Wielkopolsce, ed. Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Poznań 2004.