Untransformed, it has preserved its authentic shape and furnishing from the period of its construction. It is located in the Lednicki Landscape Park stretching around Lednica Lake, established in 1988 to protect unique areas in the country.

History of the structure

The oldest mention of the parish dates back to 1339. The first church was built in the 14th century. In its place the present wooden church was erected in 1759, founded by the Gniezno canon Louis Riaucour. The temple was consecrated in 1769. In 1873 it was thoroughly restored. Further renovations took place in 1971, in 1980 the interior was repainted and in 1995 the roof of the temple was restored.

Description of the structure

Waliszewo is a village in the Kłecko commune, about 15 km west of Gniezno, located on the north-eastern side of Lednickie Lake. The Church of St. Catherine, located in the centre of the village, is situated on a small hill overlooking the lake.

The church is oriented, single-nave with a narrower chancel closed on three sides. A sacristy was added to the chancel from the north, and a small porch was added to the south wall of the nave. The church was covered over the nave with a gable, single-ridge roof, and over the chancel with a lower gable roof with triple-pitched closure. The porch and sacristy are topped with a gable roof with an eaves. All the roofs are covered with wood shingles. The whole is dominated by a ridge turret covered with a shingled pyramidal cupola.

The building is wooden, of log construction, erected on a stone foundation. The walls from the outside, planked vertically, are crowned with a profiled wooden cornice. All window openings, including a circular window in the eastern part of the chancel, and door portals are preserved in their original profiled frames.

The nave and chancel are covered by a flat ceiling with boarding.

The church fixtures and fittings, to a large extent, come from the period of construction of the church. The late-Baroque main altar with the figures of St. Adalbert and St. Stanislaus from the 1st half of the 17th century, the side altars from the 17th-18th century, the baptismal font from the 2nd half of the 18th century, the Rococo pulpit from the 2nd half of the 18th century, the Gothic crucifix and the sculptures of the Mother of God and St. John standing on a profiled rood beam are particularly noteworthy.

Visitor access. The site can be accessed from the outside. Visiting the church inside is possible by prior telephone arrangement. More information, including the Holy Mass schedule, is available on the parish website.

Author of the note: Radomiła Banach, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Poznań, 18.07.2017

Bibliography

• E.Callier, Powiat kaliski w XVI wieku,
• Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego, Vol. XII, p.913
• Drewniane kościoły w Wielkopolsce, koncepcja, teksty i wybór fotografii P. Maluśkiewicz, Poznań 2004, p. 270.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, Vol. V, z. 23: powiat ostrowski, Warsaw 1963