Co-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Chełmża

King John III Sobieski brought back the saddle cloth of Kara Mustafa's horse from the Battle of Vienna and gave it to this church, where, turned into a liturgical cope, it survives to this day. The Co-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Chełmża, once the cathedral of the Chełmno bishopric, stands on an escarpment above a lake and is one of the finest Gothic brick churches in Pomerania and the Chełmno Land. A Grand Master of the Teutonic Order is buried here, and one Polish king after another visited its naves.

History: a cathedral a century in the making

Construction began in 1251 and continued in stages until the second quarter of the 14th century. During that time the Prussians, the pagan Baltic people of the region, twice damaged the site (1267 and 1286), and in 1422, after a Lithuanian-Tatar raid, the church burned and received new vaults. The Baroque top of the north tower was added in 1699, funded by the city council of Toruń. The 19th and 20th centuries brought losses: the Gothic cloisters were demolished, in 1906 the west portal was replaced by a neo-Gothic porch, and a fire in 1950 destroyed the roofs, part of the vaults and the tower cap. Restoration in 1968–1971 brought back the church's former appearance. It became a minor basilica in 1982 and a co-cathedral of the Toruń diocese in 1994.

Architecture

This is a three-aisled hall church with a transept and two west towers, of which only the northern one was completed to full height. It combines typical cathedral features, the transept, twin-tower façade and turrets, with elements of the mendicant orders' churches, such as the rectangular chancel without an ambulatory. Outside, look at the east gable of the chancel, divided by blind tracery panels and topped with pinnacles. Inside, octagonal piers support star vaults.

What to see inside

• a fragment of the tombstone of Siegfried von Feuchtwangen, the Grand Master who moved the Teutonic Order's capital to Malbork; he was buried here in 1311,
• the Crucifixion group of 1422, in which the figure of Christ is covered with animal skin and human hair,
• the high altar of around 1650, designed by Giovanni Battista Gisleni,
• the late-Renaissance pulpit of 1604, funded by Bishop Wawrzyniec Gembicki,
• the tomb of Bishop Piotr Kostka (d. 1595), showing him as if asleep,
• the painting "Adoration of the Magi" by Luca Giordano from around 1700,
• Gothic seats for the celebrant and a granite holy-water stoup.

Did you know?

The church was visited by kings Władysław Jagiełło, Casimir IV Jagiellon, Sigismund Augustus, Sigismund III Vasa with his son Władysław and John III Sobieski, and in the 20th century by presidents Stanisław Wojciechowski and Ignacy Mościcki. It has an altar of Blessed Jutta from around 1739, a medieval mystic associated with the Chełmża area, whose shrine is in nearby Bielczyny. It also commemorates Blessed Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski, a priest born in Chełmża who died in Dachau concentration camp in 1945 while caring for sick fellow prisoners.

Tripto tip

The co-cathedral is a working church, so plan your visit around service times; individual or group tours can be arranged through Chełmża's tourist information office. Allow 30–45 minutes for the interior and its main treasures. The best view of the building is from the lake, along the promenade by Lake Chełmża. Nearby stands St Nicholas' Church, older than the co-cathedral, dated to 1248. Toruń is less than half an hour away by car.