The authentic church surroundings (a church cemetery), covered by conservation policy, and examples of historically valuable tombstones that have been preserved also need to be emphasized.

History

The first written mention of the settlement dates back to the year 1403. The village was home of the Sarbiewski family, coat of arms Prawdzic. In the 17th century it belonged to the Bieliński family, while in the first half of the 19th century - to Karol Kwiatkowski. The parish was founded in the 13th or the 14th century. The first church was mentioned already in 1411 in written sources. The current church was constructed at the efforts of the castellan of Zakroczym, Adam Bieliński, in the second half of the 17th century. It underwent thorough renovation in 1757 at the efforts of master of the pantry of Wyszogród, Młocki. Subsequent renovations took place in the years 1814, 1838 and between 1859 and 1862. In the years 1908-1912 a porch was added at the south end, window joinery was replaced with larger fittings and the interior was subject to renovation. In 1936 the wood shingles were replaced with sheet metal. The church was also renovated in 1964. A bell tower accompanying the church was erected in the 18th century

Description

The church complex is located in the north-east part of the village, on a slope of the Raciążnica river valley. The area of the church graveyard, where the church and the bell tower are located, is encircled by a metal fence installed on a plinth made of split stone. The temple was built of oak (foundations) and pine wood, in a log structure reinforced by vertical supports. The walls are covered with vertical board-and-batten siding. The roof truss was built in a rafter-and-collar structure; gable roofs (on finials: hip roof over the chancel, five-sided roof over the nave) are clad in galvanized sheet metal. An octagonal steeple (over the nave), topped with a cupola featuring a lantern, rises over the two-ridge roof. The church is oriented towards the east, has three naves, a chancel with a semi-hexagonal termination, a rectangular sacristy added on the north side (on a rectangular floor plan) and porches at the south and west ends. The nave, designed on a rectangular floor plan, is three-sided on the west side.

The interior is covered with a flat ceiling, segmented into three parts by six pillars arranged in two rows, three pillars each. The choir gallery at the front is also supported by two posts. The pipe organ casing with an instrument originates from 1878 and was crafted by Józef Szymański. The Baroque Revival main altar from the mid-20th century, with late Baroque elements from the second half of the 18th century. Two side altars from the turn of the 20th century, in an eclectic style. The granite stoup from the 15th – 16th century. The church interior, under the choir gallery, features a commemorative plaque from 1885 of a poet, Jesuit Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (1595-1640), author of numerous poems about the Mazovia. 

The bell tower is situated to the north-east from the church, at the entrance to the graveyard. It was made of wood, on a square floor plan, has a post-and-beam structure reinforced with transoms and raking shores, covered with weatherboards on the outside. It has one storey with straight walls and an entrance at the east end. In the upper part, on the east and west sides there are three, and on the north and south sides there are two bell openings (with a shape of an upright rectangle topped with a segmental arch). The roof is tented with rafters and crowned with a tin pinnacle with an iron crucifix.

The church graveyard features preserved examples of sandstone tombs from the 19th and 20th century.

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

Author of the note Jerzy Szałygin, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Regional Branch in Warsaw 11-08-2017

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, vol. X, woj. warszawskie, issue 16, Płońsk i okolice, Warsaw 1979.
• Church of St Stanislaus of Szczepanów, after: http://www.drewnianemazowsze.pl/sarbiewo-kosciol/
• Record sheet of the monuments of architecture Kościół parafialny p.w. Św. Stanisława bpa, prepared by Komorowska E., Ciechanów 1992.
• Gawarecki W.H., , Opis huistoryczny kościoła parafialnego we wsi Sarbiewie, [in:] “Pamiętnik Religijno–Moralny”, vol. XXI, 1851.