History

From the 14th century Szestno was an administrative centre of Teutonic state, at the beginning the seat of the prosecutor with a fortified castle and manor farm, after 1525 - of the staroste. Gothic church was erected in two phases at least, even though there are discrepancies between the researchers concerning its original architectural form and the date of establishment. In older references there is a view that the  church was built in the middle or second half of the 15th century as a  single-space, oriented hall, maybe enriched with one, narrow side nave or three-bay gallery open to the main nave, which may be proven by the  bricked-up arcades in the southern wall. The fact of existence of arcades in southern wall, as well as bricked-up blind windows in eastern wall and archaeological research findings induce others to claim that the church was erected as an oriented, three-nave hall with a square presbytery separated from the body and buttresses on the corners of the  building. They also move the period of establishment of the temple to the first half of the 15th century. However, there is a consensus concerning the chronology of the second phase of construction, i.e. the  erection of the tower, built at the turn of the 15th and 16th century (before 1525) - made of brick in two lower storeys and wooden upwards. After reformation and secularisation of the Teutonic state, the church became an Evangelical temple. In a great fire that happened in 1618, the  building as its fittings were severely damaged. Southern wall of the  nave was then reconstructed, there was an upward extension of the upper parts of the tower and a considerable part of fittings were made. Construction works were completed in 1639, which is evidenced by the  flag placed on the tower. At the beginning of 1980s the church was taken over by the Catolics, which raised protests of Evangelical parish church, however, finally it ended with a purchase of the temple by the  diocese of Warmia, and the establishment of an independent parish church there on 1 July 1989.

Description

The church is located by the Mrągowo-Kętrzyn road, at a slight distance from the road, separated by fencing. Set on an elongated rectangle floor plan, with a square monumental tower covered with a hip roof with a  spire on the western side, and sacristy on a square plan, crowned with a  Baroque gable on the East. There is a small annex with a neo-Gothic gable added to the northern wall of the church, covered with a gable roof. Covering of all the roofs is made of ceramic roof tiles The  facades of the church are pierced with windows of different sizes, the  tower is divided by 5 blind window rows, with different sizes and form. On the southern wall of the body there are three legible, bricked-up, pointed-arch arcades. Inside there are very interesting fittings, coffer polychromy of the nave ceilings and of the under-tower porch since 1624, Mannerist altar of 1630, with late Gothic sculptures of Virgin Mary and saints - Piotr i Pawel, the complex of Baroque stalls and patronage pews, side galleries and burial flags from the end of the 17th century and at the beginning of the 18th century, they were forged from copper or iron sheet metal.

Limited access to the historic building.

Compiled by Marzena Zwierowicz , 7.12.2014

Bibliography

• Bosko J., Wojtkowski J.M. , Dziedzictwo historyczno-artystyczne Archidiecezji Warmińskiej. Zabytki ruchome, Olsztyn 2011, s. 209-210
• Dehio-Handbuch der Kunstndenkmäler der West- und Ostpreussen, bearb. Von M.Antoni, München 1993, s. 582
• Herrmann Ch., Mittelalterliche Architektur im Ostpreussen. Untersuchungen zur Frage der Kunstlandschaft und -Geographie, Petersberg 2007, s. 727-728.
• Florjanowicz P., Kościół w Szestnie. Rekonstrukcja założenia gotyckiego, „Warmińsko-Mazurski Biuletyn Konserwatorski”, Olsztyn 2003, r.5, s. 31-49
• Rzempołuch A., Przewodnik po zabytkach sztuki dawnych Prus Wschodnich, Olsztyn 1992, s.95.