Collegiate Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Lidzbark Warmiński

The tower of Lidzbark's parish church is 66 m high and has shaped the skyline of the former seat of the Warmian bishops for centuries. The Collegiate Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul stands on Plac Kościelny, a few minutes from the castle and the High Gate. It is a late Gothic brick hall church whose interior holds Gothic star vaults, Renaissance epitaphs linked to the families of Bishops Ferber and Dantiscus, and a reliquary bust of Saint Ida from around 1420.

History: from a wooden church to a collegiate church

A parish existed in Lidzbark as early as the 13th century. The consecration of a church of Saints Peter and Paul is recorded in 1315, under parish priest Heynemann. The brick church was built in the second half of the 14th century as a three-aisled hall of five bays. The west tower, originally low with a wooden upper storey, was raised in the 15th century and around 1530.

Fires shaped the church's story. In 1497 the vaults collapsed, and during rebuilding the body was given its hall form. In 1698 the roof and tower burnt; in the following years a Baroque ridge turret was added and the tower received a helm with three lanterns and a weathervane bearing the arms of Bishop Teodor Potocki. At the end of the 19th century a neo-Gothic chancel and porches were added on the east — sources give different dates: 1891–1893 or 1892–1896. Since 2008 the church has been the seat of a collegiate chapter.

What to see

• Star vaults from the late 14th century in the aisles and from the 15th century in the chapels by the tower.
• Renaissance epitaphs: the brass plate of Hildebrand Ferber, brother of Bishop Ferber, the slab of Christina Flaschbinder, mother of Bishop Johannes Dantiscus, and the epitaph of Jerzy Szyszkowski from 1641. Some 25 worn tomb slabs survive in the floor.
• The altar of Saint Michael the Archangel founded by Bishop Mikołaj Szyszkowski and a 17th-century altar with a painting of Saint Valentine.
• In the early 20th-century high altar — a Rococo balustrade and two angel figures attributed to Perwanger, a sculptor from Tolkmicko; in the south aisle a group of Saint Anne with the Virgin and Child from around 1500.

Did you know?

The treasury holds the reliquary bust of Saint Ida — a Gothic reliquary from around 1420 wearing a silver crown. The interior is now mostly neo-Gothic, but Gothic and Baroque pieces hide among the newer furnishings. An 18th-century statue of the Virgin and Child stands beside the church.

Tripto tips

Visit outside service times; 20–30 minutes is enough for the interior. There is a good view of the church and its tower from the bridge in front of the castle. Combine your visit with the Castle of the Warmian Bishops and a walk to the High Gate.