Wooden Church of St Andrew in Nowa Wieś Królewska

The larch-wood Church of St Andrew the Apostle in Nowa Wieś Królewska was built around 1550–1580, in the reign of King Sigismund Augustus, and is one of the oldest wooden churches in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska). It was most likely paid for by the royal treasury, and the king himself became its patron. Although it stands in the heart of Greater Poland, it shows features typical of the wooden churches of Lesser Poland further south.

History: a royal foundation and later changes

Nowa Wieś was a royal village belonging to the Pyzdry district. The church was built as a late Gothic, single-nave building of horizontal log construction. Before 1658 the nave was enlarged, and before 1737 a tower and a side porch were added and the sacristy extended. In 1925 the nave was lengthened again, and during restoration work in 1973–1979 fragments of 16th-century wall paintings were uncovered in the chancel. Repairs have blurred some of the original stylistic features, but the church has kept its wooden character.

What to look for

• The early 16th-century Crucifixion group on the rood beam: Christ on the cross, the Sorrowful Virgin, St John the Evangelist, a kneeling Mary Magdalene and two soldiers.
• The wall paintings in the chancel – ornamental motifs, part of an unidentified saint and a half-figure of St Michael the Archangel.
• The high altar with a late Gothic carving of St Anne with the Virgin and Child from the early 16th century, crowned by a 17th-century painting of St Andrew.
• The side altar with a relief of St George fighting the dragon; most of the furnishings date from around 1640.
• Outside: shingled roofs, vertical weatherboarding and a two-storey tower with a pyramid roof.

Tripto tip

The church stands in the south-eastern part of the village, on the road from Września to Pyzdry, in the old churchyard enclosed by a wooden fence. You can see the exterior at any time; the easiest way to get inside is around services – the parish lists Mass on Sundays at 10:00 and on weekdays at 16:00, though times may change. Allow 20–30 minutes. The village also has a historic post mill (koźlak).