The building is characterised by a relatively rare form of the tower in Pomerania. What makes the tower of particular interest is that it was added to the nave and its walls taper towards the top.

History

The village of Krzemieniewo was chartered in 1354. The church was first mentioned in records of 1410. In the second half of the 16th century, Krzemieniewo had a Protestant church, which was presumably using the existing church building. In the 19th century, the church belonged to the Evangelical Parish of Lędyczek. In 1930, it was incorporated into the newly established Parish of Domisław. After World War 2, the church was taken over by Catholis. Originally, it belonged to the Parish of Uniechowo, and then the Parish of Bińcze. Today, it is an independent parish.

The exact date of construction of the present-day church is not known. It was probably built in the second half of the 18th century and altered in the 19th century. In the 1970s, part of the building underwent alterations. The alterations involved replacing the half-timbered structure of the lower sections of the walls with a masonry structure, altering the layout and shape of some window openings. The side (north) gallery was removed from the interior. Between 2001 and 2009, the church underwent thorough maintenance, which resulted in the restoration of the original forms of the wall and windows. However, at the same time, the clay infills preserved in some sections was replaced with brick infills. Moreover, the half-timbered sacristy was demolished and replaced with a new masonry one.

Description

The church is located in the centre of the village and in the central part of the village square. The structure is oriented. The church plot has the shape of an irregular pentagon. It adjoins a road to the west and north, and a green area to the east and south. A rectory is situated to the north of the church, on the opposite side of the road. The boundaries of the plot are marked with trees.

The nave of the church is a half-timbered structure with brick infills, and is covered with plaster. The tower and the side annexes feature a post-and-beam structure covered with weatherboards. The building was erected on a rectangular floor plan, divided into two parts. On the east side is a single-space nave, without a separate chancel. The south façade of the nave adjoins a modern brick sacristy. On the west side is the single-space interior of the tower, together with the adjacent annexes (currently, the half-timbered walls between the tower and annexes are devoid of infill components). The body of the church is compact. The nave is cuboid in shape and covered with a gable roof. The tower is set directly on the ground, framed by annexes to the south, west and north, which are joined with the main body of the church. The annexes are covered with mono-pitched roofs. The walls of the tower taper towards the top. The tower is surmounted by an octagonal dome, with an orifice at the bottom and an octagonal roof at the top.

The window openings in the façade are rectangular. The façade are not adorned with any decorations; however, the clearly apparent structure of the building featuring a checkerboard arrangement of posts and beams and the colours of wood contrasted with plastered infills serve as a decoration.

The interior is covered with an exposed beamed ceiling with angle braces adjacent to the walls. The preserved historic furnishings of the church only include the western gallery from the 18th century and bells from 1607 and 1925.

The monument is open to visitors. Viewing of the church is possible directly before and after services.

compiled by Beata Dygulska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Gdańsk, 30-09-2014.

Bibliography

• Sadkowski T., Drewniana architektura sakralna na Pomorzu Gdańskim w XVIII-XX w., Gdańsk 1977.
• Fryda M., Kościoły Człuchowa i okolicy, Człuchów 1995, s.45
• Karta ewidencyjna zabytku architektury. Kościół rzym.-kat. filialny p.w. Chrystusa króla, opr. D. Cieślik,1993, Archiwum NID