Together with the Mennonite cemeteries, it bears testimony to the presence of Dutch settlements in this region.

History

The building of the house of prayer was erected in 1890 (the first house of prayer mentioned in historical records was consecrated in 1778 but burned down in 1889) for the religious association of Mennonites, who had settled on land by the Vistula river near Toruń in the early 17th century. The design was created and implemented by an unknown builder (perhaps with Mennonite roots) named Kienow from Toruń. The new house was solemnly consecrated on 2 November 1890 by Hans Foth, the commune’s elder. The last Mennonite service was held on 23 August 1944, after which the majority of settlers emigrated to Germany. In 1945, it was taken over by the Catholic Church and now serves as the centre of the parish in Mała Nieszawka.

Description

The church is situated on an artificial hill in the centre of Mała Nieszawka, at Toruńska Street. The building is oriented towards the east and was erected on a rectangular floor plan with a chancel featuring a semi-hexagonal end section to the east. In the south-western corner, there is a small distinct sacristy and to the front there is a narrower entrance porch. The nave and the porch feature separate gable roofs while the chancel is covered with a three-sided roof. The steeple is covered with a pyramid-shaped roof topped with a cross (previously a flag with the date 1890).   

The church is a wooden log structure erected on a stone foundation and not covered with weatherboards.

The side façades follow a three-axial layout, with rectangular window openings. In the eastern side of the chancel termination, there is an oculus. The corners of the semi-hexagonal church termination are covered with weatherboard which imitate pilasters (with plinths and capitals). The entrance porch is crowned with a triangular gable with openwork decorations.  The building is topped with a small turret covered with a tall hipped roof, which makes the building more representative, lavish and reminiscent of 19th-century brick houses of prayer in the Żuławy region.

The interior is a single space covered with a wooden beamed ceiling, with matchboarded walls and wooden flooring.

The historic fixtures and fittings inside the church are very modest, consisting only of a painting depicting Christ Crucified with a panorama of Toruń in the background.

Limited access to the historical monument. The church may be visited during service.

Prepared by Marzenna Stocka, National Heritage Board of Poland, Regional Branch in Toruń, 12 December 2017

Bibliography

• Diecezja toruńska. Historia i teraźniejszość, Vol. 15/16/17, Dekanaty toruńskie, Toruń 1995, pp. 276-280
• http://www.holland.org.pl/Catalogue of monuments of Dutch colonization in Poland