History

The church, located near the ruins of a castle, was built around the turn of the 15th and the 16th century. Its construction was commenced in 1474 by Grand Master of the Saint John Order Richard von der Schulenburg. Construction works were continued by his successor, Georg von Schlabrendorf. In the years 1520-1522, vaults were built. Later, in the 17th-19th century, the church underwent renovation works a couple of times. In the late 18th century, the sacristy was re-designed, and in the years 1814-1818 also the tower - to a significant degree. In 1990, owing to the support of German Order of Saint John, restoration of the church and its fittings started. In the next years, vaults were secured, painted decoration restored, coat of arms windows were renovated along with woodwork, pulpit, pipe organ gallery, pipe organ, pews, and baptismal font. In addition, 13 restored coat of arms plaques of Saint John monks were hung, from among 1300 such plaques coming from the 17th-19th century. Before 1945, the plaques were stored in Słońsk. The collection of these plaques, brought to Warsaw after the war, was sold abroad in 1988 and it currently forms part of one of the Swedish collections.

Description

The parish church of Our Lady of Częstochowa is a Gothic three-nave aisless building with a high rectangular tower on the west, with a clock, topped with four corner turrets. On the north, there is a sacristy. The body, reinforced with buttresses, is covered with a high multi-pitched roof. Between the buttresses, there are high pointed-arch windows. The entrance to the church leads through openings with a pointed-arch casing, present in the southern and the eastern façade. The three-nave interior of the church, with a chancel terminating in a semi-hexagon, contains a surviving stellar vault resting on octagonal piers. On the vault, there is painted decoration from the 16th century, partially restored in 1925. Inside the church, there are also ceramic keystones with reliefs presenting Biblical scenes, saints, zodiac signs, animals and working tools. The historical fittings and décor elements include: main altarpiece from the 16th century with relief alabaster slabs, Renaissance gravestone of Agnes von Hohenstein, Baroque baptismal font from 1658, marble pulpit from 1773, pipe organ from 1845, and 13 restored coat of arms plaques.

The building is accessible all year round.

compiled by Krzysztof Garbacz, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland, 17-09-2015.

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, t. 3: Powiaty: gorzowski - słubicki - sulęciński - międzyrzecki - strzelecko-drezdenecki, Zielona Góra 2013, s. 176-177, fot. 84.
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, s. 339-340.