The wooden church follows a three-nave pseudo-basilica layout. Late Baroque architecture.

History

The present day temple is the third built in Rossoszyca. All the three churches were wooden. The first church was founded by the heir of the village, Marcin (died in the Battle of Grunwald) around 1400. The next one, erected between 1770 and 1773, burned down less than ten years after having been built. In 1783, work began on the construction of a new building. Funds for this purpose were donated by Maksyma Pstrokońska née Szembek, the owner of Rossoszyca. This time, the wooden walls were built on a brick foundation. The new building resembles the previous temple. It may have been erected by the same builders in a style resembling the earlier edifice.

Description

The temple is oriented. It stands on a hill in the central part of the village, near a pond. It is surrounded by a church cemetery with a solid brick fence.

​​​​​​The temple represents the late Baroque style. ​​​It was built on a Latin cross floor plan and has a rectangular nave. It is adjoined by two quadrilateral chapels forming a pseudo transept. The chancel, narrower than the nave, has a polygonal end. A small sacristy adjoins it from the north. From the west, the nave is preceded by a narrower porch.

The individual parts of the church are topped with gable roofs. Only the sacristy is covered with a shed roof. At the intersection of the nave with the chapels, a steeple was placed.

The church was built from notched larch logs piled one on top of the other and is covered with weatherboards. The roof is clad with wood shingles.

All elevations are covered with vertical weatherboards fastened with battens. The window openings in the elevations have a rectangular shape and an arched top with lower straight sections on their sides.

The western elevation serves as the façade. Its central element is a two-storey porch. On the ground floor, there is the main entrance and two windows. At the height of the second storey, there is a noteworthy decorative Baroque top with decorative pinnacles, surmounted with a small cross. There are similar tops on the elevations of the chapels.

In the northern and southern elevations, there are two windows in the nave and the chancel. The chapels have three windows, one in each elevation. In the northern side, there are two rectangular door openings, one leading inside the temple and the other to the sacristy. From the south, there is a door (with a decoratively profiled lintel) leading to the church, placed in the nave section.

​​​​​​​A porch provides access to the church from the west, with a choir and organ gallery over the porch. The interior is crowned with an apparent barrel vault. In the side parts of the nave, there are pillars supporting the flat parts of the ceiling. They are connected with each other by arcades and pilasters, separating pseudo aisles. The rood beam is located in an opening with a fancy Baroque pattern decorated with a pelmet.

At present, the interior is undergoing conservation treatment.

The fixtures and fittings of the church come mainly from the 18th century. The main altar (with the image of St. Lawrence) represents the Rococo style. Two late Baroque side altars come from the 19th century.

The building is open to the public all year round. It can be toured upon prior telephone appointment.

Compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 25 June 2019

Bibliography

• Jarczak E., Litwa A., Kościół św. Wawrzyńca w Rossoszycy- zarys historii i stan obecny [in:] Biuletyn Szadkowski, 2017, vol. XVII
• Na Sieradzkich szlakach, 1990, no. 3 
• Rossoszyca, wioska na rozstajach dróg, Rossoszyca 2008.
• Ruszkowski A., Sieradz i okolice, przewodnik turystyczny, Sieradz 2000​​​​​​​