It is an example of a rural church typical of this region.

History

The first church in Rusko was built in the late 14th century.

A new wooden church was built in 1613.

The present church building, erected in 1833, was founded by the Objezierski family.

In 1913, the church was restored and a chapel was added on its north side.

In the 1990s, the interior was modernised: the wooden flooring was replaced with marble tiles, the interior walls were covered with wainscoting, and a counter ceiling was constructed.

In the late 1990s, new pews and a new confessional were made.

The roof and the walls were renovated after 2000.

Description

The history of Rusko goes back to the Middle Ages; the oldest written records mentioning the village date from the late 14th century. Most likely, a church existed in Rusko at that time; it was probably a filial church of the parish in Cerekwica. The village belonged to members of the Zaremba family. In 1587, Rusko was owned by the Bielawski family. In 1613, the contemporary heir to the village, Wojciech Suchorzewski, founded a new wooden church. Owing to his efforts, a parish was established in Rusko; the official date of its establishment is 28 June 1617. The Church of St Adalbert was dedicated by the suffragan bishop Jan Trach-Gniński on 10 May 1626. The present church, having a timber frame structure, was completed in 1833. At that time, Rusko was owned by the Objezierski family. From 1870, the village was owned by Count Zygmunt Czarnecki. The last owner of Rusko before the war was Marian Czarnecki. The church underwent full-scale renovations in 1913. It was then that a chapel was built onto the north wall of the building.

The church is located in the centre of the village, on the south side of a road from Jarocin to Jaraczewo. To the east of the church, there is a palace, park, and manor farm complex. The church is oriented towards the east. It is surrounded by a former graveyard, overgrown with grass, with a number of trees, enclosed with a fence made of metal bars embedded in a stone and brick wall, stretching between brick posts. On the north side, there is a decorative forged gate with two wicket gates. On the south side, there is a wicket gate leading from the former graveyard to the rectory. The church is surrounded by a path paved with stone. In the graveyard, between the chapel and the porch, on a tall pedestal, there is a Baroque sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary from 1763 (entry no. 374/B of 14.02.1975). Between the chancel wall and the nave wall, there are three stone graves: of Józef Ziemięcki (who died in 1868), Rev. Cypryan Piotrowski (who died in 1854), and Karol Tarnowski (who died in 1845). By the south wall of the building, there is a stone statue of the patron saint of the church — St Adalbert (from the 19th century). In the north-western corner of the graveyard, there is a wooden bell tower having a roof covered with wood shingles, built in the 19th century.

The church, having one nave (with no aisles), is oriented to the east. It has a wooden frame structure with brick infill, resting on a brick wall base and covered with plaster. The sacristy is made of brick. The nave is rectangular; the chancel, having the same width as the nave and not separated from it by any architectural means, terminates in a semi-hexagon. On the west side of the church, there is a tower, having a wooden post-and-beam structure. Its walls are covered with weatherboards. Two rectangular annexes adjoin the church on the south side — the sacristy and a new morgue. A chapel, terminated semi-hexagonally, adjoins the building on the north side. There are basements under the chancel. The nave and the chancel, having the same height, are covered with a tall gable roof, slightly bending in the middle; on the east side, over the chancel, there is a three-pitched roof. The roofs are covered with ceramic beaver tail tiles. The building has a more interesting shape thanks to a number of annexes. The three-storeyed tower is embedded in the nave. The walls are divided into light-coloured sections (brick infill covered with plaster) by the dark structural posts and beams. The windows and doors are rectangular. The church interior is modernised; the walls are covered with plaster and painted white, their lower sections are covered with new wainscoting. The nave, the chancel, and the chapel have flat ceilings with counter-ceilings made of boards. The floor boards were replaced with marble tiles. In the western section, there is a wooden music gallery supported by posts. The three altars inside the church date from the early 17th century; the baptismal font was made in the early 20th century. The other fittings were installed in the late 20th century.

The historic monument can be visited from the outside. Visiting the building inside is possible by prior arrangement. More information about the parish and the Holy Mass schedule can be found on the website of the parish and the Poznań Archdiocese. Email address of the parish: rusko@archpoznan.pl

compiled by Teresa Palacz, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Poznan, 05-11-2015.

Bibliography

• Maluśkiewicz P., Drewniane kościoły w Wielkopolsce, Poznań 2004.
• Łęcki Wł., Wielkopolska - słownik krajoznawczy, Poznań 2002.
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Ruszczyńska T., Sławska A. (red.), t. 5, z. 5 pow. jarociński, s. 16-17, Warszawa 1959.
• Łukaszewicz J., Opis historyczny kościołów parochialnych…, t. 2, Poznań 1858, s. 135.
• Nowacki J., Archidiecezja Poznańska w granicach historycznych i jej ustrój, Poznań 1964, s. 578.
• Anders P., Jarocin, Wyd. WBPiCAK, Poznań 2007, s.83-84