History

The village of Umień, located 12 km to the south of Koło, used to carry the name “Unienie” and then “Umienie”. It was mentioned for the first time in a document issued by King Casimir the Great in 1364. A local parish was founded in the 14th century; until 1818, it was part of the Gniezno Archdiocese, in the years 1818-1920 — of the Warsaw Archdiocese, and in the years 1920-1925 — of the Łódź Diocese. Since 1925, it has been part of the Włocławek Diocese.

The first parish church, made of wood, was probably founded by the Unieński family, the owners of the village, in the 14th century; it was mentioned in written records for the first time in 1443. Written sources also confirmed the existence of a public chapel in Umień in 1759; the chapel was performing the functions of the present church, which was being constructed at that time. The construction of the present Parish Church of St Michael the Archangel was probably completed in the 2nd half of the 17th century. During World War II, the Germans robbed the church of liturgical vessels, bells, paintings, Stations of the Cross, chasubles, and copes, among other things. The church was renovated in the years 1756, 1864, 1929, 1946, and 1958. A porch was added in 1992. The ceilings and the wall weatherboards were replaced in the years 1994-1998; the altars were renovated in 1999. The wooden bell tower was built in the 18th century. The sheet metal roof covering and the wall covering was replaced in the 1980s. In 1993, conservation works were carried out on the wooden part of the structure with the use of insecticides and fungicides and its sheet metal components were repainted.

Description

The church is oriented towards the east. It has a wooden log structure reinforced with vertical supports. The walls are covered with weatherboards. It has one nave (with no aisles). The chancel, lower and narrower than the nave, terminates in a semi-hexagon; it is adjoined by a sacristy on the north side. A square chapel was built onto the north wall of the nave. It is covered with a high hip roof made of sheet metal. The nave is also adjoined by two porches, located on its south and west sides. The two-ridge roof is covered with sheet metal. There is a steeple above the nave.

Inside, there is a flat ceiling. The church has Rococo fittings. On the west side, the nave terminates in a music gallery supported by two posts. Moreover, sections of wall paintings depicting St Michael the Archangel, dating from the 18th century, have been preserved. To the south-east of the church, there is a wooden bell tower. Its wider lower part is covered with weatherboards and the narrower upper part, having openings screened by venetian blinds, is covered with sheet metal. It is covered with a sheet metal four-pitched roof surmounted by a steeple with a hexagonal lantern crowned with a cross. The wall structure of the lower part of the bell tower is made up of nine external posts and the wall structure of the upper part is made up of four internal posts. The graveyard is enclosed with a stone and brick wall with a metal gate.

The church can only be visited from the outside.

compiled by Tomasz Łuczak, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Poznan, 16-11-2015.

Bibliography

• Dzwonnica w Umieniu, Karta ewidencji zabytków architektury i budownictwa, opr. A. Pryszczewski, b.d., ze zbiorów Archiwum WUOZ — Delegatura w Koninie
• Diecezja włocławska 2000, red. W. Frątczak, W. Kujawski, A. Poniński, K. Rulka, L. Urbański, Włocławek 2001, s. 281.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. 5, Woj. wielkopolskie, red. Teresa Ruszczyńska, Aniela Sławska, z. 8, Pow. kolski, opr. J. Rutkowska, Warszawa 1960, s. 24.
• Kościoły drewniane w Wielkopolsce, red. Mariusz Grzebalski, Poznań 2004, s. 268.
• Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Województwo konińskie. Szkic monograficzny, Warszawa-Poznań 1983, s. 312.
• Piotr Maluśkiewicz, Ziemia konińska. Przewodnik turystyczny, Konin 2002, s. 157-161.
• Wielkopolska. Słownik krajoznawczy, red. Łęcki Włodzimierz, Poznań 2002, s. 375.
• http://kosciolydrewniane.pl - odsłona z listopada 2015 r.