St Martin's Collegiate Church in Opatów

Forty-one figures weep at the news of the chancellor's death: King Sigismund the Old, a grand hetman, a bishop, courtiers, musicians — even greyhounds and falcons. This is the Opatów Lament, a Renaissance bronze relief and one of the finest works of Polish metal casting. You will find it in St Martin's Collegiate Church in Opatów — a Romanesque basilica from the 12th century, listed as a Monument of History, Poland's highest heritage status, since 2023.

History: a Romanesque basilica and its rebuilds

No document survives to confirm when the church was built. Based on its architectural details, art historians date it to the second quarter and middle of the 12th century; the first mention of the Opatów canons dates from 1206. The medieval chronicler Jan Długosz attributed the foundation to Duke Henry of Sandomierz and the Knights Templar, but the Templars' presence in Opatów is now doubted. In the 13th century the church was probably rebuilt by Cistercian masons from Wąchock.

The biggest changes came in the 16th century. In 1502 the church was burned by Tatar raiders, and during the rebuilding the Romanesque nave received a late Gothic net vault instead of its wooden ceiling. Chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki, who bought Opatów from the bishops of Lubusz in 1514, became the church's great restorer. Built of sandstone blocks, it kept the layout of a three-aisled basilica with a transept, two west towers and three east apses.

What to see

• The Opatów Lament — a long engraved and relief-cast plaque beneath the chancellor's tomb, funded around 1536 by Grand Hetman Jan Tarnowski, Szydłowiecki's son-in-law. The date 1536 appears on the left-hand trophy of arms.
• The tomb of Krzysztof Szydłowiecki with the chancellor in armour, made before 1532 and attributed to Bernardino de Gianotis of Bartolomeo Berrecci's workshop.
• The Romanesque portal between the towers with a Gothic portal set into it, and a frieze with animal reliefs on the façade.
• Baroque wall paintings in blues and pinks, including battle scenes: Grunwald, Psie Pole and Vienna.
• Oak pews of 1722 — no plant motif on their sides is repeated in exactly the same way.

Good to know

In the 19th century a Gothic painting of the Crucifixion with many figures, from the 1470s and almost 4 metres wide, was uncovered under plaster in the chapter house. During works in 2003 a tomb of 1530 was identified here, which Baltazar Sobek had made for his wife Maryna — for years it had been taken for the tomb of the chancellor's daughter.

Tripto tips

The collegiate church is a working church at ul. "Grota" Roweckiego 8. According to the parish, visits are possible Monday to Friday 9:00–17:00, Saturday 10:00–17:00 and Sunday 13:00–16:30, and a guide can be booked. Allow about an hour for the interior, and look at the Lament up close — many details only show from a few steps away. The Underground Tourist Route in the centre of Opatów is a separate attraction.