Basilica of the Annunciation in Czerwińsk nad Wisłą

High above the Vistula, the granite basilica of a former abbey of the Canons Regular has stood for more than 850 years – one of the best-preserved Romanesque churches in Poland. Its walls are built of glacial boulders in shades from graphite to pink and red, and inside are Romanesque frescoes and a portal by a workshop linked to Modena in Italy. In July 1410 King Władysław Jagiełło's army crossed the Vistula right here on its way to the Battle of Grunwald.

History: an abbey in Masovia

The abbey was founded in the second quarter of the 12th century by Alexander of Malonne, Bishop of Płock, who came from the Liège area, together with Dukes Bolesław the Curly and Henry of Sandomierz. The canons probably came from the Abbey of St Giles in Liège. To mark the consecration of the church in 1161, the dukes granted the monastery privileges. Duke Konrad II of Masovia died here in 1294, and in 1410 Jagiełło's troops crossed the river on a secretly built pontoon bridge. According to tradition the king later gave the monastery the helmet he had worn at Grunwald.

After a fire in 1328 the church was rebuilt in Gothic style, and in the 17th century it was given a Baroque interior – the Romanesque columns were encased in brick and plastered. Kings of the Vasa dynasty came here on pilgrimage: in 1647 Władysław IV left a votive offering inscribed "Close to death – he regained his health", and in 1651 John Casimir laid down banners captured at the Battle of Berestechko. In 1819 the Russian authorities dissolved the monastery; after a period with Norbertine nuns, the Salesians have looked after it since 1923. In 2021 the former abbey was declared a Monument of History (Pomnik Historii).

What to look for

• The Romanesque portal from the first half of the 12th century – on the capitals, an ancient hero taming dragons and a foliate mask, symbols of fire and water. It was partly reconstructed before the First World War.
• The frescoes in the south chapel: fragments of a Last Judgement, scenes from Genesis and the story of Noah, the sacrifice of Isaac, and figures of Saints Peter, Paul and Stephen.
• The two west towers with twin-arched windows – an arrangement rare in Polish Romanesque architecture. The date of a repair, 1852, is carved into the north tower.
• The high altar, made in Kraków around 1630, with the image of Our Lady of Czerwińsk from 1612, attributed to Łukasz of Łowicz; the image was crowned in 1970.
• In the apse, paintings of the 12 Apostles from the second quarter of the 16th century, associated with Hans Dürer.

Interesting facts

The Romanesque door of the side portal once had a bronze knocker shaped like a lion's head with a small human head in its jaws. In 1939 it was looted by the German professor Dagobert Frey. According to the Monument of History description, Czerwińsk was the first place in Polish Romanesque building where brick was used in places. As for its status as a minor basilica, sources give either 1967 or 1968.

Tripto tip

The basilica is an active shrine. The Salesians ask visitors to announce their visit in advance by phone or email; individual pilgrims may look around on their own, and information on the history is posted in the porch, on the right. Visits are not allowed during Mass and services, and groups may only be guided by Salesian guides (for a voluntary donation). The monastery also houses a Missionary Museum, founded in 1976 and open to groups and by arrangement. Allow 60–90 minutes for the basilica and the abbey grounds. Address: ul. Klasztorna 23, Czerwińsk nad Wisłą.