History

The first written mention of the village comes form 1425. At that time it belonged to the Bishops of Płock and remained in their hands until the late 18th century. The existence of St Sigismund parish in Królewo was first mentioned in 1464, although most probably it had been established earlier.

The first church in Królewo was most likely built simultaneously with the establishment of the parish. The subsequent St Sigismund church is mentioned in visitation records of 1599. In 1639 a new temple, existing until now, was built. It was funded by the Bishop of Płock, Stanisław Łubieński and its consecration by the suffragan of Płock, Bishop Wojciech Tolibowski, took place nine years later.

The current appearance of the temple is an effect of two reconstructions that took place in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century. In 1882, under the supervision of the parish priest, Rev. Edward Michniewski, the church underwent a full-scale renovation, including extension. Another extension took place in 1907, when a three-storey tower was added to the body of the building on the west side.

Subsequent renovations were conducted in 1938, 1948 and 1961. The most recent one was carried out in the years 1978-1985 under the supervision of the parish priest, Rev. Ignacy Sikorski. During that renovation, among others, foundations and parts of floor beams were replaced and the external side of the walls was covered with new weatherboards, at the same time replacing the window joinery.

Description

The church complex is located outside the village, north of the dense development of the settlement. It is surrounded by a low, stone wall. A cobblestoned procession ambulatory was laid around the church. A bell tower is situated in the church graveyard, south-west of the church.

The church building is oriented towards the east, made in a log structure reinforced with vertical supports, covered with weatherboards from the outside and clad in board-and-batten siding. The tower was built as a post-and-beam structure clad in weatherboards on both sides. The main body of the church has a single nave, was set on a rectangular floor plan, while the narrower chancel terminates semi-hexagonally. A porch adjoins the chancel on the north side, while a sacristy is added on the south side. A quadrangular, three-storey tower, crowned with an pyramidal cupola topped with a crucifix and hosting a porch in the lowest storey, was added to the nave on the west side. The uppermost storeys of the tower include window openings obscured by wooden shutters. The nave and the chancel share a single, gable roof; the roof on the east is three-sloped, while the annexes are topped with shed roofs. All roofs are covered with sheet metal. Between the nave and the chancel, the ridge is surmounted by a quadrangular steeple crowned with an onion-shaped cupola with a crucifix.

The single-space interior is covered with a common flat ceiling. The choir gallery is supported by two posts. The interior fixtures and fittings include: a Baroque Revival main altar from the second half of the 19th century, Baroque side altars from the 17th-18th century, pipe organ casing from the 19th century. The main altar includes a crucifix, the side altars feature paintings of St Roch and St Sigismund created in the 17th century.

The belfry has a post-and-beam structure reinforced with transoms and raking shores, covered with vertical board and batten siding on the outside. On the ground floor it is clad in sheet metal and surmounted with a roof with rafters clad in wood shingles. It is built on a square floor plan and has a single storey with wide eaves in its lower part. On top, on each side, there are two bell openings with a shape of an upright rectangle terminating in a segmental arch. A tented roof is crowned with an iron metalwork crucifix.

The stone wall surrounding the church graveyard, originating from the interwar decades, was made from fieldstones joined by cement-lime mortar. It features an entrance gate on the south-east side.

The building is accessible to visitors during masses and following previous arrangements with the parish priest in Królewo. 

Author of the note Jerzy Szałygin, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Regional Branch in Warsaw 30-11-2017

Bibliography

• A wooden parish church of St Sigismund, after: http://www.polskaniezwykla.pl/web/place/3175,krolewo-kosciol-pw--sw--zygmunta.html
• The Roman-Catholic parish of St Sigismund in Królewo, after: http://www.krolewo.plock.opoka.org.pl/?page_id=5
• The church of St Sigismund, after  http://skarbiecmazowiecki.pl/obiekty/kosciol-sw-zygmunta-plonski-joniec-krolewo-83,1.html#tabs-2
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, vol. X, issue 16, Płońsk i okolice, Warsaw 1979.
• Record sheet of the monuments of architecture Kościół parafialny p.w. Św. Zygmunta, prepared by Marta Kruk, Ciechanów 1999.